AMONG  THE 

DIAMOND 


VICTOR 
APPLETON 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 

DONALD  SIDNEY-FRYER 
COLLECTION 


THAT'S  GOING  SOME!"  EXCLAIMED  THE  CHIEF   OF  TH* 
DIAMOND  MAKERS.    <CWE  HAVE  A  SMALL  FORTUNE  HERE. 

—Pagt  i 


TOM  SWIFT  AMONG 
THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

OR 

The  Secret  of  Phantom  Mountain 


BY 
VICTOR  APPLETON 

AUTHOR  OF  "TOM   SWIFT  AND  HIS   MOTOR-CYCLE,"   "TOM   SWIFT  AND 
MOTOR-BOAT,"  "TOM   SWIFT  AND  HIS   AIRSHIP,"   "TOM   SWIFT 
AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RUNABOUT,"  *'*TOM  SWIFT  AND 
BIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE/'  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 
PUBLISHERS 

Blade  in  the  United  States  of  America 


BOOKS  BY  VICTOR  APPLETON 
THE  TOM  SWIFT  SERIES 


TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR-CYCLE 

Or  Fun  and  Adventure  on  the  Road 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR-BOAT 

Or  the  Rivals  of  Lake  Carlopa 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

Or  the  Stirring  Cruise  of  the  Red  Cloud 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SUBMARINE  BOAT 

Or  Under  the  Ocean  for  Sunken  Treasure 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RUNABOUT 

Or  the  Speediest  Car  on  the  Road 
TOM  SWIFT  AND   HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

Or  the  Castaways  of  Earthquake  Island 
TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

Or  the  Secret  of  Phantom  Mountain 
TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  CAVES  OF  ICE 

Or  the  Wreck  of  the  Airship 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SKY  RACER 

Or  the  Quickest  Flight  on  Record 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

Or  Daring  Adventures  in  Elephant  Land 

(Other  Volumes  in  Preparation) 


GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 
PUBLISHERS  NEW  YORK 


COPYRIGHT,  1911,  BY 
GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 

2tt»  Swift  Amcng  the  Diamond  ilakan 


CONTENTS 

CHATTER  PAGO 

I  A  SUSPICIOUS  JEWELER l 

II  A  MIDNIGHT  VISIT ...- 10 

III  A  STRANGE  STORY ,< 24 

IV  ANDY  FOGER  GETS  A  FRIGHT «...  36 

V  A  MYSTERIOUS  MAN 46 

VI  MR.  DAMON  Is  ON  HAND 55 

VII  MR.  PARKER  PREDICTS 62 

VIII  OFF  FOR  THE  WEST 7* 

IX  A  WARNING  BY  WIRELESS 81 

X  DROPPING  THE  STOWAWAY 89 

XI  A  WEARY  SEARCH 100 

XII  THE  GREAT  STONE  HEAD 106 

XIII  ON  PHANTOM  MOUNTAIN 114 

XIV  WARNED  BACK 123 

XV  THE  LANDSLIDE 130 

XVI  THE  VAST  CAVERN 138 

XVII  THE  PHANTOM  CAPTURED 148 

XVIII  BILL  RENSHAW  WILL  HELP „ 159 

XIX  IN  THE  SECRET  CAVE 165 

XX  MAKING  THE  DIAMONDS •  173 

ill 


Hf  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAG5 

XXI  FLASHING  GEMS 181 

XXII  PRISONERS 187 

XXIII  BROKEN  BONDS I.,..,.* 193 

XXIV  IN  GREAT  PERIL. aoo 

'  XX  Vj  THE  MOUNTAIN  SHATTERED — CONCLUSION.  207 


TOM    SWIFT    AMONG   THE 
DIAMOND  MAKERS 


CHAPTER  I 

A  SUSPICIOUS  JEWELER 

"WELL,  Tom  Swift,  I  don't  believe  you  will 
make  any  mistake  if  you  buy  that  diamond/' 
said  the  jeweler  to  a  young  man  who  was  in- 
specting a  tray  of  pins,  set  with  the  sparkling 
stones.  "It  is  of  the  first  water,  and  without 
a  flaw." 

"It  certainly  seems  so,  Mr.  Track.  I  don't 
know  much  about  diamonds,  and  I'm  depend- 
ing on  you.  But  this  one  looks  to  be  all  right." 

"Is  it  for  yourself,  Tom?" 

"Er — no — that  is,  not  exactly,"  and  Tom 
Swift,  the  young  inventor  of  airships  and  sub- 
marines, blushed  slightly. 

"Ah,  I  see.  It's  for  your  housekeeper,  Mrs. 
Baggert.  Well,  I  think  she  would  like  a  pin  of 

this  sort.  True,  it's  rather  expensive  .but " 

1 


2       TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS^ 

"Nc,  it  isn't  for  Mrs.  Baggert,  Mr.  Track," 
and  Tom  seemed  a  bit  embarrassed. 

"No?  Well,  then,  Tom— of  course  it's  none 
of  my  affair,  except  to  sell  you  a  good  stone, 
but  if  this  brooch  is  for  a  young  lady,  I  can't 
recommend  anything  nicer.  Do  you  think  you 
will  take  this;  or  do  you  prefer  to  look  at  some 
others?" 

"Oh,  I  think  this  will  do,  Mr.  Track.  I  guess 
I'll  take " 

Tom's  words  were  interrupted  by  a  sudden 
action  on  the  part  of  the  jeweler.  Mr.  Track 
ran  from  behind  the  showcase  and  hastened 
toward  the  front  door. 

"Did  you  see  him,  Tom?"  he  cried.  "I  wonder 
which  way  he  went?" 

"Who?"  asked  the  lad,  following  the  shop- 
keeper. 

"That  man.  He's  been  walking  up  and  down 
in  front  of  my  place  for  the  last  ten  minutes — 
ever  since  you've  been  in  here,  in  fact,  and  I 
don't  like  his  looks." 

"What  did  he  do?" 

"Nothing  much,  except  to  stare  in  here  as 
if  he  was  sizing  my  place  up." 

"Sizing  it  up?" 

"Yes.    Getting  the  lay  of  the  land,  so  he  of 


A  SUSPICIOUS  JEWELER  3 

9ome  confederate  could  commit  a  robbery, 
maybe." 

"A  robbery?  Do  you  think  that  man  was  a 
thief?" 

"I  don't  know  that  he  was,  Tom,  and  yet  «? 
jeweler  has  to  be  always  on  the  watch,  and  that 
isn't  a  joke,  either,  Tom  Swift.  Swindlers  and 
thieves  are  always  on  the  alert  for  a  chance 
to  rob  a  jewelry  store,  and  they  work  many 
games." 

"I  didn't  notice  any  particular  man  looking 
in  here,"  said  Tom,  who  still  held  the  diamond 
brooch  in  his  hand. 

"Well  I  did,"  went  on  the  jeweler.  "I  hap- 
pened to  glance  out  of  the  window  when  you 
were  looking  at  the  pins,  and  I  saw  his  eyes 
staring  in  here  in  a  suspicious  manner.  He 
may  have  a  confederate  with  him.  and,  when 
you're  gone,  one  may  come  in,  and  pretend  to 
want  to  look  at  some  diamonds.  Then,  when 
I'm  showing  him  some,  the  other  man  will 
enter,  engage  my  attention,  and  the  first  man 
will  slip  out  with  a  diamond  ring  or  pin.  It's 
often  done." 

"You  seem  to  have  it  all  worked  out,  Mr. 
Track,"  observed  the  lad,  with  a  smile.  "How 
do  you  know  but  what  I'm  in  with  a  gang  of 


4      TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS. 

thieves,  and  that  I'm  only  pretending  to  want 
to  buy  a  diamond  pin?" 

"Oh,  I  guess  I  haven't  known  you,  Tom 
Swift,  ever  since  you  were  big  enough  to 
toddle,  not  to  be  sure  about  what  you're  up  to. 
But  I  certainly  didn't  like  the  looks  of  that  man. 
However,  let's  forget  about  him.  He  seems  to 
have  gone  down  the  street,  and,  after  all,  per^ 
haps  I  was  mistaken.  Just  wait  until  I  show 
you  a  few  more  styles  before  you  decide.  The 
young  lady  may  like  one  of  these,"  and  the 
jeweler  went  to  another  showcase  and  took  out 
some  more  trays  of  brooches. 

"What  makes  you  think  she's  a  young  lady, 
Mr.  Track?"  asked  the  lad. 

"Oh,  it's  easy  guessing,  Tom.  We  jewelers 
are  good  readers  of  character.  I  can  size  up 
a  young  fellow  coming  in  here  to  buy  an  en- 
gagement or  a  wedding  ring,  as  soon  as  he 
enters  the  door.  I  suppose  you'll  soon  be  in 
the  market  for  one  of  those,  Tom,  if  all  the 
reports  I  hear  about  you  are  true — you  and  a 
certain  Mary  Nestor." 

"I — er — I  think  I  don't  care  for  any  of  these 
pins,"  spoke  Tom,  quickly,  with  a  blush.  "I 
like  the  first  lot  best.  I  think  I'll  take  the  one 
I  had  in  my  hand  when  that  man  alarmed  you. 
Ha!  That's  odd!  What  did  I  do  with  it?" 


A  SUSPICIOUS  JEWELER  5, 

Tom  looked  about  on  the  showcase,  and 
glanced  down  on  the  floor.  He  had  mislaid  the 
brooch,  but  the  jeweler,  with  a  laugh,  lifted  it 
out  of  a  tFay  a  moment  later. 

"I  saw  you  lay  it  down/'  he  said.  "We  jewel- 
ers have  to  be  on  the  watch.  Here  it  is.  I'll 
just  put  it  in  a  box,  and " 

With  an  exclamation,  Mr.  Track  gave  a  hasty 
glance  toward  his  big  show  window.  Tom 
looked  up,  and  saw  a  man's  face  peering  in. 
At  the  sight  of  it,  he,  too,  uttered  a  cry  of  sur* 
prise. 

The  next  instant  the  man  outside  knocked 
on  the  glass,  apparently  with  a  piece  of  metal, 
making  a  sharp  sound.  As  soon  as  he  heard  it, 
the  jeweler  once  more  sprang  from  behind  the 
showcase,  and  leaped  for  the  door  crying: 

"There's  the  thief!  He's  trying  to  cut  a  hole 
through  my  show  window  and  reach  in  and  get 
something!  It's  an  old  trick.  I'll  get  the 
police!  Tom,  you  stay  here  on  guard!"  and 
before  the  lad  could  utter  a  protest,  the  jeweler 
had  opened  the  door,  and  was  speeding  down 
the  street  in  the  gathering  darkness. 

Tom  stared  about  him  in  some  bewilderment- 
He  was  left  alone  in  charge  of  a  very  valuable 
stock  of  jewelry,  the  owner  of  which  was  racing 
after  a  supposed  thief,  crying: 


6      TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

"Police!  Help!  Thieves!  Stop  him,  some- 
body!" 

'This  is  a  queer  go,"  mused  Tom.  "I  wonder 
who  that  man  was?  He  looked  like  somebody 
I  know,  and  yet  I  can't  seem  to  place  his  fact> 
I  wonder  if  he  was  trying  to  rob  the  place  f 
Maybe  there's  another  one — a  confederate — * 
around  here." 

This  thought  rather  alarmed  Tom,  so  he 
went  to  the  door,  and  looked  up  and  down  the 
street.  He  could  see  no  suspicious  characters, 
but  in  the  direction  in  which  the  jeweler  was 
running  there  was  a  little  throng  of  people, 
following  Mr.  Track  after  the  man  who  had 
knocked  on  the  window. 

"I  wish  I  was  there,  instead  of  here,"  mused 
the  lad.  "Still  I  can't  leave,  or  a  thief  might 
come  in.  Perhaps  that  was  the  game,  and  one 
of  the  gang  is  hanging  around,  hoping  the  store 
will  be  deserted,  so  he  can  enter  and  take  what 
he  likes." 

Tom  had  read  of  such  cases,  and  he  at  once 
resolved  that  he  would  not  only  remain  in  the 
jewelry  shop,  but  that  he  would  lock  the  dooiy 
which  he  at  once  proceeded  to  do.  Then  he 
breathed  easier. 

The  town  of  Shopton,  in  the  outskirts  oi 
which  Tom  lived  with  his  father,  and  where 


A  SUSPICIOUS  JEWELER  % 

scene  above  narrated  took  place,  was  none  too 
well  lighted  at  night,  and  the  lad  had  his  doubts 
about  the  jeweler  catching  the  oddly-acting 
man,  especially  as  the  latter  had  a  good  start. 

"But  some  one  may  head  him  off,"  reasoned 
Tom.  "Though  if  they  do  catch  him,  I  don't 
see  what  they  can  prove  against  him.  Hello, 
here  I  am  carrying  this  diamond  pin  around. 
I  might  lose  it.  Guess  I'll  put  it  back  on  the 
tray." 

He  replaced  in  the  proper  receptacle  one  of 
the  pins  he  had  been  examining  when  the  excite- 
ment occurred. 

"I  wonder  if  Mary  will  like  that?"  he  said, 
softly.  "I  hope  she  does.  Perhaps  it  would 
be  better  if  she  could  come  here  herself  and  pick 
out  one " 

Tom's  musing  was  suddenly  interrupted  by 
a  sharp  tattoo  on  the  glass  door  of  the  jewelry 
shop.  With  a  start,  he  looked  up,  to  see  staring 
in  on  him  the  face  of  the  man  who  had  been 
there  before — the  man  of  whom  the  jeweler 
was  even  then  in  chase. 

"Why— why "  stammered  Tom. 

The  man  knocked  again. 

"Tom— Tom  Swift!"  he  called.  "Don't  you 
know  me?" 

"Know  you — you?"  repeated  the  lad. 


8       TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

"Yes —  don't  you  remember  Earthquake 
Island — how  we  were  nearly  killed  there — don't 
you  remember  Mr.  Jenks?" 

"Mr.  Jenks?" 

Tom  was  so  startled  that  he  could  only  re- 
peat words  after  the  strange  man,  who  wa% 
talking  to  him  from  outside  the  glass  door. 

"Yes,  Mr.  Jenks,"  was  the  reply.  "Mr.  Bar, 
coe  Jenks,  who  makes  diamonds.  I  saw  you 
in  the  store  about  to  buy  a  diamond — I  wanted 
to  tell  you  not  to — I'll  give  you  a  better  dia- 
mond than  you  can  buy — I  just  arrived  in  this 
place — I  must  have  a  private  talk  with  you — 
Come  out — I'll  share  a  wonderful  secret  with 
you." 

A  flood  of  memory  came  to  Tom.  He  did 
recall  the  very  strange  man  who  walked  around 
Earthquake  Island  —  where  Tom  and  some 
friends  had  been  marooned  recently — walked 
about  with  a  pocketful  of  what  he  said  were 
diamonds.  Now  Barcoe  Jenks  was  here. 

"I  must  see  you  privately,  Tom  Swift,"  went 
on  Mr.  Jenks,  as  he  once  more  tapped  on  the 
glass.  "Don't  waste  money  buying  diamonds, 
when  you  and  I  can  make  better  ones.  Where 

can  I  have  a  talk  with  you?  I "  Mr.  Jenks 

suddenly  looked  down  the  dimly-lighted  street. 
"They're  coming  back!"  he  cried.  "I  don't 


A  SUSPICIOUS  JEWELER  9 

want  to  be  seen.  I'll  call  at  your  house  later 
to-night — be  on  the  watch  for  me — until  then— 
good-by!" 

He  waved  his  hand,  and  was  gone  in  an  in- 
Ktant.  Tom  stood  staring  at  the  glass  door. 
He  hardly  knew  whether  to  believe  it  or  not— » 
perhaps  it  was  all  a  dream. 

He  pinched  himself  to  make  sure  that  he  was 
awake.  Very  substantial  flesh  met  his  thumb 
and  finger,  and  he  felt  the  pain. 

"I'm  awake  all  right,"  he  murmured.  "Bui 
Barcoe  Jenks  here — and  still  talking  that  non- 
sense about  his  manufactured  diamonds.  I 
think  he  must  be  crazy.  I  wonder " 

Once  more  the  lad's  musing  was  interrupted. 
He  heard  a  murmur  of  excited  voices  outside 
the  store,  on  the  street.  Then  the  door  of  the 
jewelry  shop  was  tried.  Mr.  Track's  face  was 
pressed  against  the  glass. 

"Open  the  door!  Let  me  in,  Tom!"  he  called. 
"I've  caught  the  thief,"  and  as  the  lad  unlocked 
the  portal  he  saw  that  the  jeweler  held  by  the 
arm  a  ragged  lad.  "Ah,,  you  scoundrel!  I've 
caught  you!"  cried  the  diamond  merchant, 
shaking  the  small  chap,  while  Tom  looked  on, 
more  mystified  than  ever. 


CHAPTER  II 

A    MIDNIGHT    VISIT 

WHILE  Mr.  Track,  the  jeweler,  and  several 
citizens,  attracted  by  the  chase  after  the  sup* 
posed  thief,  are  crowded  into  the  store,  anxious 
to  hear  explanations  of  the  strange  affair,  I 
will  take  the  opportunity  to  tell  you  something 
of  Tom  Swift,  the  lad  who  is  to  figure  in  this 
story. 

Many  of  you  have  already  made  his  acquaint- 
ance, when  he  has  been  speeding  about  in  his 
airship  or  fast  electric  runabout,  and  to  others 
we  will  state  that  our  hero  first  made  his  bow 
to  the  public  in  the  book  called  "Tom  Swift 
and  His  Motor-Cycle,"  the  initial  volume  of 
this  series. 

In  that  story  there  was  related  how  Tom 
made  the  acquaintance  of  an  odd  individual, 
named  Mr.  Wakefield  Damon,  who  was  con- 
tinually blessing  himself,  some  part  of  his 
anatomy,  or  his  possessions.  Mr.  Damon  was 
riding  a  motor-cycle,  and  it  started  to  climb  a 


A  MIDNIGHT  VISIT  II 

tree,  to  his  pain  and  fright.  Afterward  Tom 
purchased  the  machine,  and  had  many  adven- 
tures on  it,  including  a  chase  after  a  gang  of 
men  who  had  stolen  a  valuable  patent  model 
belonging  to  Mr.  Swift. 

Mr.  Swift,  and  his  son  were  both  inventors. 
They  lived  together  in  a  fine  house  in  the  sub- 
drbs  of  Shopton,  New  York,  and  with  them 
dwelt  Mrs.  Baggert,  the  housekeeper  (for  Tom's 
mother  was  dead),  and  also  Garret  Jackson, 
an  expert  engineer,  who  aided  the  young  in- 
ventor and  his  father  in  perfecting  many 
machines. 

There  was  also  another  semi-member  of  the 
household,  to  wit,  Eradicate  Sampson,  an  eccen- 
tric colored  man,  who  owned  a  mule  called 
Boomerang.  Eradicate  did  odd  jobs  around  the 
place,  and  the  mule  assisted  his  owner — that  is, 
when  the  mule  felt  like  it 

In  the  second  volume  of  the  series,  entitled 
''Tom  Swift  and  His  Motor-Boat,"  there  was 
related  the  incidents  following  a  pursuit  after 
a  gang  of  unprincipled  men,  who  sought  to  'get 
possession  of  some  of  Mr.  Swift's  patents,  and 
it  was  while  in  this  boat  that  Tom,  his  father, 
and  a  friend,  Ned  Newton,  rescued  from  Lake 
Carlopa  a  Mr.  John  Sharp,  who  fell  from 
his  burning  balloon.  Mr.  Sharp  was  a  skilled 


12     TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

aeronaut,  and  after  his  recovery  he  joined  Tom 
in  builciing  a  big  airship,  called  the  Red  Cloud. 

Tom's  adventures  in  this  craft  are  set  down 
in  detail  in  the  third  volume  of  the  series,  called 
"Tom  Swift  and  His  Airship."  Not  only  did 
he  and  Mr.  Sharp  and  Mr.  Damon  make  a  great 
trip,  but  they  captured  some  bank  robbers,  ancj 
incidentally  cleared  themselves  from  the  imputa-^ 
tion  of  having  looted  the  vault  of  seventy-fivfc 
thousand  dollars,  which  charge  was  fostered  by 
a  certain  Mr.  Foger,  and  his  son  Andy,  who 
was  Tom's  enemy. 

Not  satisfied  with  having  conquered  the  air, 
Tom  and  his  father  set  to  work  to  gain  a  victory 
over  the  ocean.  They  built  a  boat  that  could 
navigate  under  water,  and,  in  the  fourth  book 
of  the  series,  called  "Tom  Swift  and  His  Sub- 
marine Boat,"  you  will  find  an  account  of  how 
they  went  under  the  ocean  to  secure  a  sunken 
treasure,  and  the  fight  they  had  with  their 
enemies  who  sought  to  get  it  away  from  them. 
They  went  through  many  perils,  not  the  least 
of  which  was  capture  by  a  foreign  warship. 

In  the  fifth  book,  entitled  "Tom  Swift  and 
His  Electric  Runabout,"  there  was  told  the 
story  of  a  wonderfully  speedy  electric  automo- 
bile the  young  inventor  constructed,  and  how 
he  made  a  great  race  in  it,  and  saved  from  ruin 


A  MIDNIGHT  VISIT  13 

a  bank,  in  which  his  father  and  Mr.  Damon  were 
interested. 

Tom's  ability  as  an  inventor  had,  by  this 
time,  become  well  known.  One  day,  as  related 
in  a  volume  called  "Tom  Swift  and  His  Wireless 
Message/'  he  received  a  letter  from  a  Mr.  Hos- 
mer  Fenwick,  of  Philadelphia,  asking  his  aid 
in  perfecting  an  airship  which  the  resident  of 
the  Quaker  City  had  built,  but  which  would 
not  work.  In  his  small  monoplane,  the  Butter- 
fly, Tom  and  Mr.  Damon  went  to  Philadelphia, 
as  Mr.  Damon  was  acquainted  with  Mr.  Fen- 
wick. 

Tom  carefully  inspected  the  Whlzzer  which 
was  the  name  of  Mr.  Fenwick's  airship,  and, 
after  some  difficulties,  succeeded  in  getting  the 
electric  craft  in  shape  to  make  a  flight. 

Tom,  Mr.  Damon  and  Mr.  Fenwick  started 
to  make  a  trip  to  Cape  May  in  the  Whizzer,  but 
were  caught  in  a  terrific  storm,  and  blown  out 
to  sea.  The  wind  became  a  hurricane,  the 
airship  was  disabled,  and  wrecked  in  mid-air. 
When  it  fell  to  earth  it  landed  on  one  of  the 
small  West  Indian  islands,  but  what  was  the 
terror  of  the  three  castaways  to  find  that  the 
island  was  subject  to  earthquake  shocks. 

But  the  earth-tremors  were  not  the  only  sur- 
prise in  store  for  Tom  and  his  two  friends.  On 


I4     TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

the  island  they  found  five  men  and  two  ladies, 
who,  by  strange  chance,  had  been  stranded  there 
when  the  yacht  Resolute,  owned  by  Mr.  George 
Hosbrook,  was  wrecked  in  the  same  storm  that 
disabled  the  airship.  Mr.  Hosbrook,  a  million- 
aire, was  taking  a  party  of  friends  to  the  West 
Indies. 

When  the  castaways  (among  whom  were  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Amos  Nestor,  parents  of  Mary  Nestor, 
a  girl  of  whom  Tom  was  very  fond)  found  that 
there  was  danger  of  the  island  being  destroyed 
in  an  earthquake,  they  were  in  despair.  There 
ieemed  no  way  of  being  rescued,  as  the  island 
was  out  of  the  line  of  regular  ship  travel. 

Tom,  however,  was  resourceful.  With  the 
electrical  apparatus  from  the  wrecked  airship, 
he  built  a  wireless  plant,  and  sent  messages  for 
help,  broadcast  over  the  ocean. 

They  were  finally  heard,  and  answered,  by  an 
operator  on  board  the  steamer  Camberanian, 
which  came  on  under  forced  draught,  and 
rescued  Tom  and  his  friends.  It  was  only  just 
in  time,  for,  no  sooner  had  they  gotten  aboard 
the  steamer  in  lifeboats,  than  the  whole  island 
was  destroyed  by  an  earthquake  shock. 

But  Tom,  the  parents  of  Mary  Nestor,  Mr. 
Damon,  Mr.  Fenwick,  and  all  the  others,  got 
safely  home.  Among  the  survivors  from  the 


A  MIDNIGHT  VISIT  15 

yacht  Resolute  was  a  Mr.  Barcoe  Jenks,  who 
now,  most  unexpectedly,  had  confronted  Tom 
through  the  glass  window  of  the  jewelry  store. 
Mr.  Jenks  was  a  peculiar  man.  Tom  discovered 
this  on  Earthquake  Island.  Mr.  Jenks  carried 
with  him  some  stones  which  he  said  were  dia- 
monds. He  asserted  that  he  had  made  them, 
but  Tom  did  not  know  whether  or  not  to 
believe  this. 

When  it  seemed  that  the  castaways  would 
not  be  saved  Mr.  Jenks  offered  Tom  a  large 
sum  in  these  same  diamonds  for  some  plan 
whereby  he  might  escape  the  earthquakes.  Mr. 
Jenks  said  there  was  a  certain  secret  in  con- 
nection with  the  manufactured  diamonds  that 
he  had  to  solve — that  he  had  been  defrauded 
of  his  rights — and  that  a  certain  Phantom 
Mountain  figured  in  it.  But  Tom,  at  that  time, 
paid  little  attention  to  Mr.  Jenks'  talk.  The 
time  was  to  come,  however,  when  he  would 
attach  much  importance  to  it. 

When  this  story  opens,  Tom  was  more  inter- 
ested in  Mr.  Barcoe  Jenks  than  in  any  one  else, 
and  was  wondering  what  he  wanted  to  see  him 
about.  The  young  inventor  could  not  quite 
understand  how  Mr.  Track,  the  jeweler,  could 
come  back  with  a  lad  he  suspected  of  being 
a  thief,  when  the  person  who  had  acted  so  su»- 


16    TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS. 

piciously,  and  who  had  knocked  on  the  glass,  was 
the  queer  man,  Mr.  Jenks. 

"Yes,  Tom  I  caught  him,"  the  jeweler  went 
on.  "I  chased  after  him,  and  nabbed  him.  It 
was  hard  work,  too,  for  I'm  not  a  good  runner. 
'Now,  you  little  rascal,  tell  me  why  you  tried 
to  rob  my  store?"  and  the  diamond  merchant 
shook  the  lad  roughly. 

"I — I  didn't  try  to  rob  your  store,"  was  the 
timid  answer. 

"Well,  perhaps  you  didn't,  exactly,  but  your 
confederates  did.  Why  did  you  rap  on  the  glass, 
and  why  were  you  staring  in  so  intently?" 

"I  wasn't  lookin'  in." 

"Well,  if  it  wasn't  you,  it  was  some  one  just 
like  you.  But  why  did  you  run  when  I  raced 
down  the  street?" 

"I — I  don't  know,"  and  the  lad  began  to 
snivel.  "I — I  jest  ran — that's  all — 'cause  I  see 
everybody  else  runnin',  an*  I  thought  there  was 
a  fire." 

"Ha!  That's  a  likely  story!  You  ran  because 
you  are  guilty!  I'm  going  to  hand  you  over  to 
the  police." 

"Did  he  get  anything,  Mr.  Track?"  asked 
^ne  of  the  men  who  had  joined  the  jeweler  in 
the  chase. 

"No,  J  can't  say  that  he  did.    He  didn't 


A  MIDNIGHT  VISIT  13 

a  chance*  Tom  Swift  was  in  here  at  the  time. 
But  this  fellow  was  only  waiting  for  a  chance 
to  steal,  or  else  to  aid  his  confederates." 

"But,  if  he  didn't  take  anything,  I  don't  see 
how  you  can  have  him  arrested,"  went  on  the 
man. 

"On  suspicion;  that's  how!"  asserted  Mr. 
Track.  "Will  some  one  get  me  a  constable?" 

"I  wouldn't  call  a  constable,"  said  Tom, 
quietly. 

"Why  not?" 

"Because  that  isn't  the  person  who  looked  in 
your  window." 

"How  do  you  know,  Tom?" 

"Because  that  person  came  back  while  you 
were  out.  I  saw  him." 

"You  saw  him?  Did  he  try  to  steal  any  of 
my  diamonds,  Tom?" 

"No,  I  guess  he  doesn't  need  any." 

"Why  not?"  There  was  wonder  in  the  jewel- 
er's tone. 

"Why,  he  claims  he  can  make  all  he  wants." 

"Make  diamonds?" 

"So  he  says." 

"Why,  he  must  be  crazy!"  and  Mr.  Track 
laughed. 

"Perhaps  he  is,"  admitted  Tom,  "I'm  only; 
telling  you  what  he  says.  He's  Hie  person  who 


18     TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS! 

acted  so  suspiciously.  He  came  back  here,  Fm 
telling  you,  while  you  were  running  down  the 
street,  and  spoke  to  me." 

"Oh,  then  you  know  him?"  The  jeweler's 
voice  was  suspicious. 

"I  didn't  at  first,"  admitted  Tom.  "But  when 
he  said  he  was  Mr.  Barcoe  Jenks,  I  remembered 
that  I  had  met  him  when  I  was  cast  away  on 
Earthquake  Island." 

"And  he  says  he  can  make  diamonds?"  asked 
Mr.  Track. 

"Yes." 

"What  did  he  want  of  you?"  and  the  jeweler 
looked  at  Tom,  quizzically. 

"He  wanted  to  have  a  talk  with  me,"  replied 
the  lad,  "and  when  he  saw  me  in  your  store,  he 
tried  to  attract  my  attention  by  knocking  on 
the  glass." 

"That's  a  queer  way  to  do,"  declared  Mr* 
Track.  "What  did  he  want?" 

"I  don't  know  exactly,"  answered  Tom,  not 
caring  to  go  into  details  just  then.  "But  I'm 
sure,  Mr.  Track,  that  you've  got  the  wrong 
f>erson  there.  That  lad  never  looked  in  the 
window,  nor  knocked  on  the  glass." 

"That's  right — I  didn't,"  asserted  the  captive. 

The  jeweler  looked  doubtful. 

"Why  did  you  run?"  he  asked. 


A  MIDNIGHT  VISIT  19 

"I  told  you,  I  thought  there  was  a  fire.** 

"That's  right,  I  don't  believe  he's  the  fellow 
you  want,"  put  in  another  man.  "I  was  stand- 
ing on  the  corner,  near  White's  grocery  store* 
and  I  noticed  this  lad.  That  was  before  I  heard 
you  yelling,  and  saw  you  coming,  and  then  1 
joined  in  the  chase.  I  guess  the  man  you  were 
after  got  away,  Track." 

"He  did,"  asserted  Tom.  "He  came  back 
here,  a  little  while  ago,  and  he  ran  away  just 
now,  as  he  heard  you  coming." 

"Where  did  he  go?"  asked  the  jeweler, 
eagerly. 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  Tom.  "Only 
you've  got  the  wrong  lad  here." 

"Well,  perhaps  I  have,"  admitted  the  diamond 
merchant.  "You  can  go,  youngster,  but  next 
time,  don't  run  if  you're  not  guilty." 

"I  thought  there  was  a  fire,"  repeated  the 
lad,  as  he  hurriedly  slipped  through  the  crowd 
in  the  store,  and  disappeared  down  the  dark, 
street. 

"Well,  I  guess  the  excitement's  all  over,  andr 
anyhow,  you  weren't  robbed,  Track,"  said  a 
stout  man,  as  he  left  the  store.  The  others  soon- 
followed,  and  Tom  and  the  jeweler  were  once 
more  alone  in  the  shop. 

"Can  you  tell  me  something  about  this  man, 


20    TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS, 

Tom?"  asked  Mr.  Track,  eagerly.  "So  he  really 
makes  diamonds.  Who  is  he?" 

"I'd  rather  not  tell — just  now,"  replied  the 
young  inventor.  "I  don't  take  much  stock  in 
him,  myself.  I  think  he's  visionary.  He  may 
think  he  has  made  diamonds,  and  he  may  have 
made  some  stones  that  look  like  them.  I'm 
very  skeptical." 

"If  you  could  bring  me  some,  Tom,  I  could 
soon  tell  whether  they  were  real  or  not.  Can 
you?" 

The  lad  shook  his  head. 

"I  don't  expect  to  see  Mr.  Jenks  again,"  he 
said.  "He  talked  rather  wildly  about  waiting 
to  meet  me,  but  that  man  is  odd — crazy,  per- 
haps— and  I  don't  imagine  I'll  see  him.  He's 
harmless,  but  he's  eccentric.  Well,  there  was 
quite  some  excitement  for  a  time." 

"I  should  say  there  was.  I  thought  it  was  a 
plan  to  rob  me,"  and  the  jeweler  began  putting 
away  the  diamond  pins.  In  fact,  the  excitement 
so  filled  the  minds  of  himself  and  Tom  that 
neither  of  them  thought  any  more  of  the  object 
of  the  lad's  visit,  and  the  young  inventor  de* 
parted  without  purchasing  the  pin  he  had  come 
after. 

It  was  not  until  he  was  out  on  the  street. 


A  MIDNIGHT  VISIT  21 

walking  toward  his  home,  that  the  matter  came 
back  to  his  mind. 

"I  declare!"  he  exclaimed.  "I  didn't  get  that 
pin  for  Mary,  after  all!  Well,  never  mind,  I 
have  a  week  until  her  birthday,  and  I  can  get 
jt  to-morrow." 

He  walked  rapidly  toward  home,  for  the 
weather  looked  threatening,  and  Tom  had  no 
umbrella.  He  was  musing  on  the  happenings 
of  the  evening  when  he  reached  his  house.  His 
father  was  out,  as  was  Garret  Jackson,  the  engi- 
neer; and  Mrs.  Baggert,  the  housekeeper,  was 
entertaining  a  lady  in  the  sitting-room,  so,  as 
Tom  was  rather  tired,  he  went  directly  to  his 
own  room,  and,  a  little  later  got  into  bed. 

It  was  shortly  after  midnight  when  he  was 
awakened  by  hearing  a  rattling  on  the  window 
of  his  room.  The  reason  he  was  able  to  fix  the 
time  so  accurately  was  because  as  soon  as  he 
awakened  he  pressed  a  little  electric  button,  and 
it  illuminated  the  face  of  a  small  clock  on  his 
bureau.  The  hands  pointed  to  five  minutes 
past  twelve. 

"Humph!  That  sounds  like  hail!"  exclaimed 
Tom,  as  he  arose,  and  looked  out  of  the  case- 
ment. "I  wonder  if  any  of  the  skylights  of  the 
airship  shed  are  open?  There  might  be  some 


22     TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS. 

damage.  Guess  I'd  better  go  out  and  take  a 
look." 

He  had  mentally  reasoned  this  far  before  he 
had  looked  out,  and  when  he  saw  that  the  moon 
was  brightly  shining  in  a  clear  sky,  he  was  a 
bit  surprised. 

"Why— that  wasn't  hail,"  he  murmured.  "It 
isn't  even  raining.  I  wonder  what  it  was?" 

He  was  answered  a  moment  later,  for  a 
shower  of  fine  gravel  from  the  walk  flew  up  and 
clattered  against  the  glass.  With  a  start,  Tom 
looked  down,  and  saw  a  dark  figure  standing 
under  an  apple  tree. 

"Hello!  Who's  there?"  called  the  lad,  after 
he  had  raised  the  sash. 

"It's  I — Mr.  Jenks,"  was  the  surprising 
answer. 

"Mr.  Jenks?"  repeated  Tom. 

"Yes — Barcoe  Jenks,  of  Earthquake  Island." 

"You  here?    What  do  you  want?" 

"Can  you  come  down?" 

"What  for?" 

"Tom  Swift,  I've  something  very  important 
to  tell  you,"  was  the  answer  in  a  low  voice,  yet 
which  carried  to  Tom's  ears  perfectly.  "Do  you 
want  to  make  a  fortune  for  yourself— and  for 
me?" 


A  MIDNIGHT  VISIT  23 

"How?"  Tom  was  beginning  to  think  more 
and  more  that  Mr.  Jenks  was  crazy. 

"How?  By  helping  me  to  discover  the  secret 
of  Phantom  Mountain,  where  the  diamonds  are 
made!  Will  you?" 

"Wait  a  minute — I'll  come  down,"  answered 
Tom,  and  he  began  to  grope  for  his  clothes 
in  the  dim  light  of  the  little  electric  lamp. 

What  was  the  secret  of  Phantom  Mountain? 
What  did  Mr.  Jenks  really  want?  Could  he 
make  diamonds?  Tom  asked  himself  these 
questions  as  he  hastily  dressed  to  go  down  to 
his  midnight  visitor. 


CHAPTER  III 

A  STRANGE  STORY 

"WELL,  Mr.  Jenks,"  began  Tom,  when  he  had 
descended  to  the  garden,  and  greeted  the  man 
who  had  acted  so  strangely  on  Earthquake 
Island,  "this  is  rather  an  odd  time  for  a  visit." 

"I  realize  that,  Tom  Swift,"  was  the  answer, 
and  the  lad  noticed  that  the  man  spoke  much 
more  calmly  than  he  had  that  evening  at  the 
jewelry  shop.  "I  realize  that,  but  I  have  to  be 
cautious  in  my  movements." 

"Why?" 

"Because  there  are  enemies  on  my  track.  If 
they  thought  I  was  seeking  aid  to  discover  the 
secret  of  Phantom  Mountain,  my  life  might  pay 
the  forfeit." 

"Are  you  in  earnest,  Mr.  Jenks?" 

"I  certainly  am,  and,  while  I  must  apologize 
for  awakening  you  at  this  unseemly  hour,  and 
for  the  mysterious  nature  of  my  visit,  if  you  will 
let  me  tell  my  story,  you  will  see  the  need  of 
secrecy." 

24 


A  STRANGE  STORY  2$ 

"Oh,  I  don't  mind  being  awakened,"  answered 
Tom,  good-naturedly,  "but  I  will  be  frank  with 
you,  Mr.  Jenks.  I  hardly  can  believe  what  you 
have  stated  to  me  several  times — that  you  know 
how  diamonds  can  be  made." 

"I  can  prove  it  to  you,"  was  the  quiet  answer. 

"Yes,  I  know.  For  centuries  men  have  tried 
to  discover  the  secret  of  transmuting  base 
metals  into  gold,  and  how  to  make  diamonds 
by  chemical  means.  But  they  have  all  been 
failures," 

"All  except  this  process — the  process  used  at 
Phantom  Mountain,"  insisted  the  queer  man, 
"Do  you  want  to  hear  my  story?" 

"I  have  no  objections." 

"Then  let  me  warn  you,"  went  on  Mr.  Jenks, 
"that  if  you  do  hear  it,  you  will  be  so  fascinated 
by  it  that  I  am  sure  you  will  want  to  cast  your 
lot  in  with  mine,  and  aid  me  to  get  my  rights, 
and  solve  the  mystery.  And  I  also  want  to 
warn  you  that  if  you  do,  there  is  a  certain  amount 
of  danger  connected  with  it." 

"I'm  used  to  danger,"  answered  Tom,  quietly. 
*Let  me  hear  your  story.  But  first  explain  how 
you  came  to  come  here,  and  why  you  acted  so 
strangely  at  the  jewelry  store." 

"Willingly.    I  tried  to  attract  your  attention 


06    TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKER$ 

at  the  store,  because  I  saw  that  you  were  going 
to  buy  a  diamond,  and  I  didn't  want  you  to." 

"Why  not?" 

"Because  I  want  to  present  you  with  a  beauti* 
ful  stone,  that  will  answer  your  purpose  as  well* 
or  better,  than  any  one  you  could  buy.  That 
will  prove  my  story  better  than  any  amount  of 
words  or  argument.  But  I  could  not  attract 
your  attention  without  also  attracting  that  of 
the  jeweler.  He  became  suspicious,  gave  chase, 
and  I  thought  it  best  to  vanish.  I  hope  no  on* 
was  made  to  suffer  for  what  may  have  been  my 
imprudence." 

"No,  the  lad  whom  Mr.  Track  caught  was  let 
go.  But  how  did  you  happen  to  come  to  Shop- 
ton?" 

"To  see  you.  I  got  your  address  from  the 
owner  of  the  yacht  Resolute.  I  knew  that  if 
there  was  one  person  who  could  aid  me  to  re- 
cover my  rights,  it  would  be  you,  Tom  Swift. 
Will  you  help  me?  Will  you  come  with  me  to 
discover  the  secret  of  Phantom  Mountain?  If 
we  go,  it  will  have  to  be  in  an  airship,  for  in  no 
other  way,  I  think,  can  we  come  upon  the  place, 
as  it  is  closely  guarded.  Will  you  come?  I 
will  pay  you  well." 

"Perhaps  I  had  better  hear  your  story,"  said 
ithe  young  inventor.  "But  first  let  me  suggest 


A  STRANGE  STORY  27 

that  we  move  farther  away  from  the  house.  My 
father,  or  Mr.  Jackson,  or  the  housekeeper,  may 
hear  us  talking,  and  it  may  disturb  them.  Come 
with  me  to  my  private  shop,"  and  Tom  led  the 
way  to  a  small  building  where  he  did  experi- 
mental work.  He  unlocked  the  door  with  a 
key  he  carried,  turned  on  the  lights,  which  were 
run  by  a  storage  battery,  and  motioned  Mr. 
Jenks  to  a  seat. 

"Now  I'll  hear  your  story,"  said  Tom. 

"I'll  make  it  as  short  as  possible,"  went  on 
the  queer  man.  "To  begin  with,  it  is  now  sev- 
eral years  ago  since  a  poorly  dressed  stranger 
applied  to  me  one  night  for  money  enough  to 
get  a  meal  and  a  bed  to  sleep  in.  I  was  liv- 
ing in  New  York  City  at  the  time,  and  this 
Was  midnight,  as  I  was  returning  home  from 
*ny  club. 

"I  was  touched  by  the  man's  appearance,  and 
gave  him  some  money.  He  asked  for  my  card, 
laying  he  would  repay  me  some  day.  I  gave 
it  to  him,  little  thinking  I  would  hear  from  the 
man  again.  But  I  did.  He  called  at  my  apart- 
ments about  a  week  later,  saying  he  had  secured 
work  as  an  expert  setter  of  diamonds,  and 
wanted  to  repay  me.  I  did  not  want  to  take 
his  money,  but  the  fact  that  such  a  sorry  look- 
ing specimen  of  manhood  as  he  had  been  whett 


28     TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

I  aided  him,  was  an  expert  handler  of  gems 
interested  me.  I  talked  with  the  man,  and  he 
made  a  curious  statement. 

"This  man,  who  gave  his  name  as  Enos  Fol- 
well,  said  he  knew  a  place  where  diamonds  could 
be  made,  partly  in  a  scientific  manner,  and 
partly  by  the  forces  of  nature.  I  laughed  at 
him,  but  he  told  me  so  many  details  that  I 
began  to  believe  him.  He  said  he  and  some 
other  friends  of  his,  who  were  diamond  cutters, 
had  a  plant  in  the  midst  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, where  they  had  succeeded  in  making 
several  small,  but  very  perfect  diamonds.  They 
had  come  to  the  end  of  their  rope,  though,  so 
to  speak,  because  they  could  not  afford  to  buy 
the  materials  needed.  Folwell  said  that  he  and 
his  companions  had  temporarily  separated,  had 
left  the  mountain  where  they  made  diamonds, 
and  agreed  to  meet  there  later  when  they  had 
more  money  with  which  to  purchase  materials. 
They  had  all  agreed  to  go  out  into  civiliza- 
tion, and  work  for  enough  funds  to  enable  them 
to  go  on  with  their  diamond  making. 

"I  hardly  knew  whether  to  believe  the  mail 
or  not,  but  he  offered  proof.  He  had  several 
small,  but  very  perfect  diamonds  with  him,  and 
he  gave  them  to  me,  to  have  tested  in  any  way 
I  desired. 


A  STRANGE  STORY  2$ 

"I  promised  to  look  into  the  matter,  and,  as 
I  was  quite  wealthy,  as,  in  fact  I  am  now,  and 
if  I  found  that  the  stones  he  gave  me  were  real, 
I  said  I  might  invest  some  money  in  the  plant." 

"Were  the  diamonds  good?"  asked  Tom,  who 
was  beginning  to  be  interested. 

"They  were — stones  of  the  first  water,  though 
small.  An  expert  gem  merchant,  to  whom  I 
took  them,  said  he  had  never  seen  any  diamonds 
like  them,  and  he  wanted  to  know  where  I  got 
them.  Of  course  I  did  not  tell  him. 

"To  make  a  long  story  short,  I  saw  Folwell 
again,  told  him  to  communicate  with  his  com- 
panions, and  to  tell  them  that  I  would  agree 
to  supply  the  cash  needed,  if  I  could  share  in  the 
diamond  making.  To  this  they  agreed,  and, 
after  some  weeks  spent  in  preparation,  a  party 
of  us  set  out  for  Phantom  Mountain." 

"Phantom  Mountain?"  interrupted  Tom. 
"Where  is  it?" 

"I  don't  know,  exactly — it's  somewhere  in 
the  Rockies,  but  the  exact  location  is  a  mystery. 
That  is  why  I  need  your  help.  You  will  soon 
understand  the  reason.  Well,  as  I  said,  my- 
self, Folwell  and  the  others,  who  were  not 
exactly  prepossessing  sort  of  men,  started  west. 
When  we  got  to  a  small  town,  called  Indian 
Ridge,  near  Leadville,  Colorado,  the  men  in- 


|Q    TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

sisted  that  I  must  now  proceed  in  secret,  and 
consent  to  be  blindfolded,  as  they  were  not 
yet  ready  to  reveal  the  secret  of  the  place  where 
they  made  the  diamonds. 

"I  did  not  want  to  agree  to  this,  but  they 
insisted,  and  I  gave  in,  foolishly  perhaps.  At 
any  rate  I  was  blindfolded  one  night,  placed  in 
a  wagon,  and  we  drove  off  into  the  mountains. 
After  traveling  for  some  distance  I  was  led,  still 
(blindfolded,  up  a  steep  trail. 

"When  the  bandage  was  taken  off  my  eyes  I 
saw  that  I  was  in  a  large  cave.  The  men  were 
with  me,  and  they  apologized  for  the  necessity 
that  caused  them  to  blindfold  me.  They  said 
they  were  ready  to  proceed  with  the  making  of 
diamonds,  but  I  must  promise  not  to  seek  to 
discover  the  secret  until  they  gave  me  permis- 
sion, nor  was  I  to  attempt  to  leave  the  cave, 
I  had  to  agree. 

"Next  they  demanded  that  I  give  them  a 
large  sum,  which  I  had  promised  when  they 
showed  me,  conclusively,  that  they  could  make 
diamonds.  I  refused  to  do  this  until  I  had  seen 
some  of  the  precious  stones,  and  they  agreed 
that  this  was  fair,  but  said  I  would  have  to 
wait  a  few  days. 

"Well,  I  waited,  and,  all  that  while,  I  was 
virtually  a  prisoner  in  the  cave.  All  I  could 


A  STRANGE  STORY  31 

learn  was  that  it  was  in  the  midst  of  a  great 
range,  near  the  top,  and  that  one  of  the  peaks 
Was  called  Phantom  Mountain.  Why,  I  did  not 
learn  until  later. 

"At  last  one  night,  during  a  terrific  thunder 
storm,  the  leader  of  the  diamond  makers — Fol- 
well — announced  that  I  could  now  see  the 
stones  made.  The  men  had  been  preparing 
their  chemicals  for  some  days  previous.  I  was 
taken  into  a  small  chamber  of  the  cave,  and 
there  saw  quite  a  complicated  apparatus.  Part 
of  it  was  a  great  steel  box,  with  a  lever  on  it. 

"We  will  let  you  make  some  diamonds  for 
yourself,"  Folwell  said  to  me,  and  he  directed 
me  to  pull  the  lever  of  the  box,  at  a  certain 
signal.  The  signal  came,  just  as  a  terrific  crash 
of  thunder  shook  the  very  mountain  inside  of 
which  we  were.  The  box  of  steel  got  red-hot, 
and  when  it  cooled  off  it  was  opened,  and  I 
was  given  a  handful  of  white  stones." 

"Were  they  diamonds?"  asked  Tom,  eagerly, 

Mr.  Jenks  held  out  one  hand.  In  the  palm 
glittered  a  large  stone — ostensibly  a  diamond, 
In  the  rays  of  the  moon  it  showed  all  the  colons 
Cll  the  rainbow — a  beautiful  gem. 

"That  is  one  of  the  stones  I  made— or  rather 
that  I  supposed  I  had  made,"  went  on  Mr. 
Jenks.  "It  is  one  of  several  I  have,  but  they 


32     TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS. 

have  not  all  been  cut  and  polished  as  has  this 
one. 

"Naturally  I  was  much  impressed  by  what 
I  saw,  and,  after  I  had  made  certain  tests  which 
convinced  me  that  the  stones  in  the  steel  box 
were  diamonds,  I  paid  over  the  money  as  I  had 
promised.  That  was  my  undoing/* 
'  "How?" 

"As  soon  as  the  men  got  the  cash,  they  ha'd 
no  further  use  for  me.  The  next  I  remember 
is  eating  a  rude  meal,  while  we  discussed  the 
future  of  making  diamonds.  I  knew  nothing 
more  until  I  found  myself  back  in  the  small 
hotel  at  Indian  Ridge,  whence  I  had  gone  some 
time  previous,  with  the  men,  to  the  cave  in 
the  mountain." 

"What  happened?"  asked  Tom,  much  sur- 
prised by  the  unexpected  outcome  of  the  affair. 

"I  had  been  tricked,  that  was  all!  As  soon 
as  the  men  had  my  money  they  had  no  further 
use  for  me.  They  did  not  want  me  to  learn  the 
secret  of  their  diamond  making,  and  they 
{drugged  me,  carried  me  away  from  the  cave, 
and  left  me  in  the  hotel." 

"Didn't  you  try  to  find  the  cave  again?" 

"I  did,  but  without  avail.  I  spent  some  time 
in  the  Rockies,  but  no  one  could  tell  where 


A  STRANGE  STORY  33 

Phantom  Mountain  was;  in  fact,  few  had  heard 
of  it,  and  I  was  nearly  lost  searching  for  it. 

"I  came  back  East,  determined  to  get  even. 
I  had  given  the  men  a  very  large  sum  of  money, 
and,  in  exchange,  they  had  given  me  several 
diamonds.  Probably  the  stones  are  worth  near- 
ly as  much  as  the  money  I  invested,  but  I  was 
cheated,  for  I  was  promised  an  equal  share  in 
the  profits.  These  were  denied  me,  and  I  was 
tricked.  I  determined  to  be  revenged,  or  at 
least  to  discover  the  secret  of  making  diamonds. 
It  is  my  right." 

"I  agree  with  you,"  spoke  Tom. 

"But,  up  to  the  time  I  met  you  on  Earth- 
quake Island,  I  could  form  no  plan  for  discover- 
ing Phantom  Mountain,  and  learning  the  secret 
of  the  diamond  makers,"  went  on  Mr.  Jenks. 
"I  carried  the  gems  about  with  me,  as  you 
doubtless  saw  when  we  were  on  the  island.  But 
I  knew  I  needed  an  airship  in  which  to  fly  over 
the  mountains,  and  pick  out  the  location  of  the 
cave  where  the  diamonds  are  made." 

"But  how  can  you  locate  it,  if  you  were  blind- 
folded when  you  were  taken  there,  Mr.  Jenks?"1 

"I  forgot  to  tell  you  that,  on  our  journey  into 
the  mountains,  and  just  before  I  was  carried 
into  the  cave,  I  managed  to  raise  one  corner 
of  the  bandage.  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  verjr 


34     TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS, 

peculiarly  shaped  cliff — it  is  like  a  great  head, 
standing  out  in  bold  relief  against  the  moon- 
light, when  I  saw  it.  That  head  of  rock  is  near 
the  cave.  It  may  be  the  landmark  by  which 
we  can  locate  Phantom  Mountain." 

"Perhaps,"  admitted  the  young  inventor. 

"What  I  want  to  know  is  this,"  went  on  Mr. 
Jenks.  "Will  you  go  with  me  on  this  quest- 
go  in  your  airship  to  discover  the  secret  of  the 
diamond  makers?  If  you  will,  I  will  share  with 
you  whatever  diamonds  we  can  discover,  or 
make;  besides  paying  all  expenses.  Will  you 
go,  Tom  Swift?" 

The  young  inventor  did  not  know  what  to 
answer.  How  far  was  Mr.  Jenks  to  be  trusted? 
Were  the  stones  he  had  real  diamonds?  Was 
his  story,  fantastical  as  it  sounded — true? 
Would  it  be  safe  for  Tom  to  go? 

The  lad  asked  himself  these  questions.  Mr. 
Jenks  saw  his  hesitation. 

"Here,"  said  the  strange  man,  "I  will  prove 
what  I  say.  Take  this  diamond.  I  intended 
it  for  you,  anyhow,  for  what  you  did  for  me  on 
Earthquake  Island.  Take  it,  and — and  give  it 
to  the  person  for  whom  you  were  about  to  pur- 
chase a  diamond  to-night.  But,  first  of  all,  take 
it  to  a  gem  expert,  and  get  his  opinion.  That 
will  prove  the  truth  of  what  I  say,  Tom  Swiftg 


A  STRANGE  STORY  35 

and  I  feel  sure  that  you  will  cast  your  lot  in 
with  mine,  and  help  me  to  discover  the  secret 
of  Phantom  Mountain,  and  aid  me  to  get  my 
rights  from  the  diamond  makers!" 


CHAPTER  IV 

ANDY    FOGER    GETS    A    FRIGHT 

TOM  SWIFT  considered  a  few  minutes.  On 
the  face  of  it,  the  proposition  appealed  to  him. 
He  had  been  home  some  time  now  after  his 
adventures  on  Earthquake  Island,  and  he  was 
beginning  to  long  for  more  excitement.  The 
search  for  the  mysterious  mountain,  and  the 
cave  of  the  diamond  makers,  might  offer  a  new 
field  for  him.  But  there  came  to  him  a  certain 
distrust  of  Mr.  Jenks. 

"I  don't  like  to  doubt  your  word,"  began 
Tom,  slowly,  "but  you  know,  Mr.  Jenks,  that 
some  of  the  greatest  chemists  have  tried  in  vain 
to  make  diamonds;  or,  at  best,  they  have  made 
only  tiny  ones.  To  think  that  any  man,  or  set 
of  men,  made  real  diamonds  as  large  as  the  ones 

you   have,    doesn't   seem — well "    and   Tom 

hesitated. 

"You  mean  you  can  hardly  believe  me?" 
asked  Mr.  Jenks. 

"I  guess  that's  it,"  assented  Tom. 
36 


ANDY  FOGER  GETS  A  FRIGHT  37* 

"I  don't  blame  you  a  bit!"  exclaimed  ttie  odd 
man.  "In  fact,  /  didn't  believe  it  when  they 
told  me  they  could  make  diamonds.  But  they 
proved  it  to  me.  I'm  ready  now  to  prove  it 
*o  you. 

"I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do.  Here's  this  one 
stone,  cut  ready  for  setting.  Here's  another, 
Uncut,"  and  Mr.  Jenks  drew  from  his  pocket 
what  looked  like  a  piece  of  crystal.  "Take  them 
to  any  jeweler,"  he  resumed — "to  the  one  in 
whose  place  I  saw  you  to-night.  I'll  abide  by 
the  verdict  you  get,  and  I'll  come  here  to- 
morrow night,  and  hear  what  you  have  to  say." 

"Why  do  you  come  at  night?"  asked  Tom> 
thinking  there  was  something  suspicious  in 
that. 

"Because  my  life  might  be  in  danger  if  I  was 
seen  talking  to  you,  and  showing  you  diamonds 
in  the  daytime — especially  just  now." 

"Why  at  this  particular  time?" 

"For  the  reason  that  the  diamond  makers  are 
on  my  trail.  As  long  as  I  remained  quiet,  after 
their  shabby  treatment  of  me,  and  did  not  try 
to  discover  their  secret,  they  were  all  right. 
But,  after  I  realized  that  I  had  been  cheated 
out  of  my  rights,  and  when  I  began  to  make 
an  investigation,  with  a  view  to  discovering 


38     TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS, 

their  secret  whereabouts,  I  received  mysterious 
and  anonymous  warnings  to  stop. 

"But  I  did  not.  I  came  East,  and  tried  to 
get  help  to  discover  the  cave  of  the  diamond 
makers,  but  I  was  unsuccessful.  I  needed  an 
airship,  as  I  said,  and  no  person  who  could 
operate  one,  would  agree  to  go  with  me  on  the 
quest.  Again  I  received  a  warning  to  drop  all 
search  for  the  diamond  makers,  but  I  persisted* 
and  about  a  week  ago  I  found  I  was  bein£ 
shadowed." 

"Shadowed;  by  whom?"  asked  Tom. 

"By  a  man  I  never  remember  seeing,  but  who, 
I  have  no  doubt,  is  one  of  the  diamond-making 
gang." 

"Do  you  think  he  means  you  harm?" 

"I'm  sure  of  it.  That  is  the  reason  I  have 
to  act  so  in  secret,  and  come  to  see  you  at 
night.  I  don't  want  those  scoundrels  to  find 
out  what  I  am  about  to  do.  On  my  return 
from  Earthquake  Island,  I  again  endeavored  to 
interest  an  airship  man  in  my  plan,  but  he  evi- 
dently thought  me  insane.  Then  I  thought  of 
you,  as  I  had  done  before,  but  I  was  afraid  you, 
too,  would  laugh  at  my  proposition.  However, 
I  decided  to  come  here,  and  I  did.  It  seemed 
almost  providential  that  my  first  view  of  you 
was  in  a  jewelry  shop,  looking  at  diamonds.  I 


'ANDY  FOGER  GETS  A  FRIGHT  39 

took  it  as  a  good  omen.  Now  it  remains  with 
you.  May  I  call  here  to-morrow  night,  and 
get  your  answer?" 

Tom  Swift  made  up  his  mind  quickly.  After 
all  it  would  be  easy  enough  to  find  out  if  the 
diamonds  were  real.  If  they  were,  he  could 
then  decide  whether  or  not  to  go  with  Mr. 
Jenks*  on  the  mysterious  quest.  So  he  an- 
swered : 

"I'll  consider  the  matter,  Mr.  Jenks.  I'll 
meet  you  here  to-morrow  night.  In  the  mean- 
while, for  my  own  satisfaction,  I'll  let  an  expert 
look  at  these  stones." 

"Get  the  greatest  diamond  expert  in  the 
world,  and  he'll  pronounce  them  perfect!"  pre- 
dicted the  odd  man.  "Now  I'll  bid  you  good- 
night, and  be  going.  I'll  be  here  at  this  time 
to-morrow." 

As  Mr.  Jenks  turned  aside  there  was  a  move- 
ment among  the  trees  in  the  orchard,  and  a 
shadowy  figure  was  seen  hurrying  away. 

"Who's  that?"  asked  the  diamond  man,  in  a 
Coarse  whisper.  "Did  you  see  that,  Tom  Swift? 
Some  one  was  here — listening  to  what  I  said! 
Perhaps  it  was  the  man  who  has  been  shadow- 
ing me!" 

"I  think  not.    I  guess  it  was  Eradicate  Samp* 


40    TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS. 

son,  a  colored  man  who  does  work  for  us,"  said 
Tom.  "Is  that  you,  Rad?"  he  called. 

"Yais,  sah,  Massa  Tom,  heah  I  is!"  answered 
the  voice  of  the  negro,  but  it  came  from  an 
entirely  different  direction  than  that  in  which 
the  shadowy  figure  had  been  seen. 

"Where  are  you,  Rad?"  called  the  young  in- 
ventor. 

"Right  heah,"  was  the  reply,  and  the  colored 
man  came  from  the  direction  of  the  stable.  "I 
were  jest  out  seein'  if  mah  mule  Boomerang 
were  all  right.  Sometimes  he's  restless,  an* 
don't  sleep  laik  he  oughter." 

"Then  that  wasn't  you  over  in  the  orchard?'* 
asked  Tom,  in  some  uneasiness. 

"No,  sah,  I  ain't  been  in  de  orchard.  I  were 
sleepin'  in  mah  shack,  till  jest  a  few  minutes 
ago,  when  I  got  up,  an'  went  in  t'  see  Boome- 
rang. I  had  a  dream  dat  some  coon  were  tryin* 
t'  steal  him,  an'  it  sort  ob  'sturbed  me,  laik." 

"If  it  wasn't  your  man,  it  was  some  one  else,'* 
said  Mr.  Jenks,  decidedly. 

"We'll  have  a  look !"  exclaimed  Tom.  "Here, 
Rad,  come  over  and  scurry  among  those  trees. 
iWe  just  saw  some  one  sneaking  around." 

"I'll  sure  do  dat!"  cried  the  colored  man. 
"Mebby  it  were  somebody  arter  Boomerang! 
I'll  find  >em." 


ANDY  FOGER  GETS  A  FRIGHT  41 

"I  don't  believe  it  was  any  one  after  the  mule/' 
murmured  Mr.  Jenks,  "but  it  certainly  was  some 
one — more  likely  some  one  after  me." 

The  three  made  a  hasty  search  among  the 
trees,  but  the  intruder  had  vanished,  leaving 
no  trace.  They  went  out  into  the  road,  which 
the  moon  threw  into  bold  relief  along  its  white 
stretch,  but  there  was  no  figure  scurrying  away. 

"Whoever  it  was,  is  gone,"  spoke  Tom. 
"You  can  go  back  to  bed,  Rad,"  for  the  colored 
man,  of  late,  had  been  sleeping  in  a  shack  on 
the  Swift  premises. 

"And  I  guess  it's  time  for  me  to  go,  too," 
added  Mr.  Jenks.  "I'll  be  here  to-morrow  night, 
Tom,  and  I  hope  your  answer  will  be  favor- 
able." 

Tom  did  not  sleep  well  the  remainder  of  the 
night,  for  his  fitful  slumbers  were  disturbed  by 
dreams  of  enormous  caves,  filled  with  diamonds, 
with  dark,  shadowy  figures  trying  to  put  him 
into  a  red-hot  steel  box.  Once  he  awakened 
with  a  start,  and  put  his  hand  under  his  pillow 
to  feel  if  the  two  stones  Mr.  Jenks  had  given 
him,  were  still  there.  They  had  not  been  dis- 
turbed. 

Tom  made  up  his  mind  to  find  out  if  the 
stones  were  really  diamonds,  before  saying  any 
thing  to  his  father  about  the  chance  of  goin$ 


%2    TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

to  seek  Phantom  Mountain.  And  the  young 
inventor  wished  to  get  the  opinion  of  some 
other  jeweler  than  Mr.  Track — at  least,  at  first. 

"Though  if  this  one  proves  to  be  a  good  gem, 
I'll  have  Mr.  Track  set  it  in  a  brooch,  and  give 
it  to  Mary  for  her  birthday,"  decided  the  young 
inventor.  "Guess  I'll  take  a  run  over  to  Chester 
in  the  Butterfly,  and  see  what  one  of  the 
jewelers  there  has  to  say." 

In  addition  to  his  big  airship,  Red  Cloudy 
Tom  owned  a  small,  swift  monoplane,  which  he 
called  Butterfly.  This  had  been  damaged  by 
Andy  Foger  just  before  Tom  left  on  the  trip 
that  ended  at  Earthquake  Island,  but  the  mono- 
plane had  been  repaired,  and  Andy  had  left 
town,  not  having  returned  since. 

Telling  his  father  that  he  was  going  off  on 
a  little  business  trip,  which  he  often  did  in  his 
aeroplane,  Tom,  with  the  aid  of  Mr.  Jackson, 
the  engineer,  wheeled  the  Butterfly  out  of  its 
shed. 

Adjusting  the  mechanism,  and  seeing  that  it 
was  in  good  shape,  Tom  took  his  place  in  one 
of  the  two  seats,  for  the  monoplane  would  carry 
two.  Mr.  Jackson  then  spun  the  propellers, 
and,  with  a  crackle  and  roar  the  motor  started. 
Over  the  ground  ran  the  dainty,  little  aero- 
plane, until,  having  momentum  enough,  Tom 


ANDY  FOGER  GETS  A  FRIGHT  43 

tilted  the  wing  planes  and  the  machine  sailed  up 
into  the  air. 

Rising  about  a  thousand  feet,  and  circling 
about  several  times  to  test  the  wind  currents, 
Tom  headed  his  craft  toward  Chester,  a  city 
about  fifty  miles  from  Shopton.  In  his  pocket, 
snugly  tucked  away,  were  the  two  stones  Mr. 
Jenks  had  given  him. 

It  was  not  long  before  Tom  saw,  looming  up 
in  the  distance  the  church  spires  and  towering 
factory  chimneys  of  Chester,  for  his  machine 
was  a  speedy  one,  and  could  make  ninety  miles 
an  hour  when  driven.  But  now  a  slower  speed 
satisfied  our  hero. 

"1*11  just  drop  down  outside  of  the  city,"  he 
reasoned,  "for  too  much  of  a  crowd  gathers 
when  I  land  in  the  street.  Besides  I  might 
frighten  horses,  and  then,  too,  it's  hard  to  get 
a  good  start  from  the  street.  I'll  leave  it  in 
some  barn  until  I  want  to  go  back." 

Tom  sent  his  craft  down,  in  order  to  pick  out 
a  safe  place  for  a  landing.  He  was  then  over 
the  suburbs  of  the  city,  and  was  following  the 
line  of  a  straight  country  road. 

"Looks  like  a  good  place  there,"  he  mur- 
mured. "I'll  shut  off  the  motor,  and  vol-plane 
down." 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  Tom  shut 


ft4    TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS, 

off  his  power.  The  little  craft  dipped  toward 
the  ground,  but  the  lad  threw  up  the  forward 
planes,  and  caught  a  current  of  air  that  sent 
him  skimming  along  horizontally. 

As  he  got  nearer  to  the  ground,  he  saw  the 
figure  of  a  lad  riding  a  bicycle  along  the  country 
highway.  Something  about  the  figure  struck 
Tom  as  being  familiar,  and  he  recognized  th« 
cyclist  a  moment  later. 

"It's  Andy  Foger!"  said  Tom,  in  a  whisper. 
"I  wondered  where  he  had  been  keeping  him- 
self since  he  damaged  the  Butterfly.  Evidently 
he  doesn't  dare  venture  back  to  Shopton.  Well, 
here's  where  I  give  him  a  scare." 

Tom's  monoplane  was  making  no  more  noise, 
now,  than  a  soaring  bird.  He  was  gliding  swift- 
ly toward  the  earth,  and,  with  the  plan  in  his 
mind  of  administering  some  sort  of  punishment 
to  the  bully,  he  aimed  the  machine  directly  at 
him. 

Nearer  and  nearer  shot  the  monoplane,  as 
quietly  as  a  sheet  of  paper  might  fall.  Andy 
pedaled  on,  never  looking  up  nor  behind  him, 
A  moment  later,  as  Tom  threw  up  his  head* 
planes,  to  make  his  landing  more  easy,  and  just 
as  he  swooped  down  at  one  side  of  the  cyclist, 
our  hero  let  out  a  most  alarming  yell,  right  into 
Andy's  ear. 


ANDY  FOGER  GETS  A  FRIGHT  45 

"Now  I've  got  you!"  he  shouted.  "I'll  teach 
you  to  slash  my  aeroplane!  Come  with  me!" 

Andy  gave  one  look  at  the  white  bird-like 
apparatus  that  had  flown  up  beside  him  so 
noiselessly,  and,  being  too  frightened  to  recog- 
nize Tom's  voice,  must  have  thought  that  he 
had  been  overtaken  by  some  supernatural 
visitor. 

Andy  gave  a  yell  like  an  Indian,  about  to  do 
a  stage  scalping  act,  and  fairly  dived  over  the 
handlebars  of  his  bicycle,  sprawling  in  a  heap 
on  the  dusty  road. 

"I  guess  that  will  hold  you  for  a  while,"  ob- 
served Tom,  grimly,  as  he  put  on  the  ground- 
brake  and  brought  his  monoplane  to  a  stop  not 
far  from  the  fallen  rider. 


CHAPTER  V 

A  MYSTERIOUS   MAN 

FOR  SEVERAL  minutes  Andy  Foger  did  not 
arise.  He  remained  prostrate  in  the  dust,  and 
Tom,  observing  him,  thought  perhaps  the  bully 
might  have  been  seriously  injured.  But,  a  little 
later,  Andy  cautiously  raised  his  head,  and  in- 
quired in  a  frightened  voice: 

"Is  it— is  it  gone?" 

"Is  what  gone?"  asked  Tom,  grimly. 

At  the  sound  of  his  voice,  Andy  looked  up. 

"Was  that  you,  Tom  Swift?"  he  demanded. 
"Did  you  knock  me  off  my  wheel?" 

"My  monoplane  and  I  together  did,"  was  the 
reply;  "or,  rather,  we  didn't.  It  was  the  nervous 
reaction  caused  by  your  fright,  and  the  knowl- 
edge that  you  had  done  wrong,  that  made  you 
jump  over  the  handlebars.  That's  the  scientific 
explanation." 

"You — you  did  it !"  stammered  Andy,  getting 
to  his  feet.  He  wasn't  hurt  much,  Tom 
thought. 

II 


A  MYSTERIOUS  MAN  47 

"Have  it  your  own  way,"  resumed  our  hero. 
"Did  you  think  it  was  a  hob-goblin  in  a  chariot 
of  fire  after  you,  Andy?" 

"Huh !  Never  mind  what  I  thought !  I'll  have 
you  arrested  for  this!" 

"Will  you?  Delighted,  as  the  boys  say.  Hop 
in  my  airship  and  I'll  take  you  right  into  town. 
And  when  I  get  you  there  I'll  make  a  charge 
of  malicious  mischief  against  you,  for  breaking 
the  propeller  of  the  Butterfly  and  slashing  her 
wings.  I've  mended  her  up,  however,  so  she 
goes  better  than  ever,  and  I  can  take  you  to 
the  police  station  in  jig  time.  Want  to  come, 
Andy?" 

This  was  too  much  for  the  bully.  He  knew 
that  Tom  would  have  a  clear  case  against  him, 
and  he  did  not  dare  answer.  Instead  he  shuffled 
over  to  where  his  wheel  lay,  picked  it  up,  and 
rode  slowly  off. 

"Good  riddance,"  murmured  Tom.  He 
looked  about,  and  saw  that  he  was  near  a  house, 
in  the  rear  of  which  was  a  good-sized  barn. 
"Guess  I'll  ask  if  I  can  leave  the  Butterfly 
there,"  he  murmured,  and,  ringing  the  door- 
bell, he  was  greeted  by  a  man. 

"I'll  pay  you  if  you'll  let  me  store  my  machine 
in  the  barn  a  little  while,  until  I  go  into  the 
city,  and  return,"  spoke  the  lad. 


48     TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS, 

"Indeed,  you're  welcome  to  leave  it  there 
without  pay,"  was  the  answer.  "I'm  interested 
in  airships,  and  I'll  consider  it  a  favor  if  you'll 
let  me  look  yours  over  while  it's  here." 

Tom  readily  agreed,  and  a  few  minutes  later 
he  had  caught  a  trolley  going  into  the  city.  He 
was  soon  in  one  of  the  largest  jewelry  stores  of 
Chester. 

"I'd  like  to  get  an  expert  opinion  as  to 
whether  or  not  those  stones  are  diamonds," 
spoke  Tom,  to  the  polite  clerk  who  came  up  to 
wait  on  him,  and  our  hero  handed  over  the  two 
gems  which  Mr.  Jenks  had  given  him.  "I'm 
willing  to  pay  for  the  appraisement,  of  course," 
the  young  inventor  added,  as  he  saw  the  clerk 
looking  rather  doubtfully  at  him,  for  Tom  had 
on  a  rough  suit,  which  he  always  donned  when 
he  flew  in  his  monoplane. 

"I'll  turn  them  over  to  our  Mr.  Porter,  a 
gem  expert,"  said  the  clerk.  "Please  be 
seated." 

The  young  man  disappeared  into  a  private 
office  with  the  stones,  and  Tom  waited.  He 
wondered  if  he  was  going  to  have  his  trouble 
for  his  pains.  Presently  two  elderly  gentlemen 
came  from  the  little  room,  on  the  glass  door  of 
which  appeared  the  word  "Diamonds." 

"Who  brought  tkese  stones  in?"  asked  one 


A  MYSTERIOUS  MAN  49 

of  the  men,  evidently  the  proprietor,  from  the 
deference  paid  him  by  the  clerk.  The  latter 
motioned  to  Tom. 

"Will  you  kindly  step  inside  here?"  requested 
the  elderly  man.  When  the  door  was  closed, 
Tom  found  himself  in  a  room  which  was  mostly 
taken  up  with  a  bench  for  the  display  of 
precious  stones,  a  few  chairs,  and  some  lights 
arranged  peculiarly;  while  various  scales  and 
instruments  stood  on  a  table. 

"You  wished  an  opinion  on — on  these?" 
queried  the  proprietor  of  the  place.  Tom 
noticed  at  once  that  the  word  "diamonds"  was 
not  used. 

"I  wanted  to  find  out  if  they  were  of  any 
value,"  he  said.  "Are  they  diamonds?" 

"Would  you  mind  stating  where  you  got 
them?"  asked  the  other  of  the  two  men. 

"Is  that  necessary?"  inquired  the  lad.  "I 
came  by  them  in  a  legitimate  manner,  if  that's 
what  you  mean,  and  I  can  satisfy  you  on  that 
point.  I  am  willing  to  pay  for  any  information 
you  may  give  me  as  to  their  value." 

"Oh,  it  isn't  that,"  the  proprietor  hastened 
to  assure  him.  "But  these  are  diamonds  of  such 
a  peculiar  kind,  so  perfect  and  without  a  flaw, 
that  I  wondered  from  what  part  of  the  world 
they  came." 


go     TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

"Then  they  are  diamonds?"  asked  Tom, 
eagerly. 

"The  finest  I  have  ever  tested!"  declared  the 
other  man,  evidently  Mr.  Porter,  the  gem  ex- 
pert. "They  are  a  joy  to  look  at,  Mr.  Roberts," 
he  went  on,  turning  to  the  proprietor.  "If  it 
is  possible  to  get  a  supply  of  them  you  would 
be  justified  in  asking  half  as  much  again  as  we 
charge  for  African  or  Indian  diamonds.  The 
Kimberly  products  are  not  to  be  compared  to 
these,"  and  he  looked  at  the  two  stones  in  his 
hand — the  one  cut,  and  sparkling  brilliantly, 
the  other  in  a  rough  state. 

"Do  you  care  to  state  where  these  diamonds 
came  from?"  asked  Mr.  Roberts,  looking  criti- 
cally at  Tom. 

"I  had  rather  not,"  answered  the  lad.  "It 
is  enough  for  me  to  know  that  they  are  dia- 
monds. How  much  is  your  charge?" 

"Nothing,"  was  the  unexpected  answer.  "We 
are  very  glad  to  have  had  the  opportunity  of 
seeing  such  stones.  Is  there  any  chance  of 
getting  any  more?" 

[<    "Perhaps,"  answered  Tom,  as  he  accepted  the 
gems  which  the  expert  held  out  to  him. 

"Then  might  we  speak  for  a  supply?"  went 
on  Mr.  Roberts,  eagerly.  "We  will  pay  you  the 
full  market  price." 


A  MYSTERIOUS  MAN  51 

"What  is  the  value  of  these  stones?"  asked 
Tom. 

Mr.  Roberts  looked  at  his  gem  expert 

"It  is  difficult  to  say,"  was  the  answer  of  the 
man  who  had  handed  Tom  the  gems.  "They 
are  so  far  superior  to  the  usual  run  of  diamonds, 
that  I  feel  justified  in  saying  that  the  cut  one 
would  bring  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  anywhere. 
In  fact,  I  would  offer  that  for  it.  The  other 
is  larger,  though  what  it  would  lose  in  cutting 
would  be  hard  to  say.  I  should  say  it  was 
worth  two  thousand  dollars  as  it  is  now." 

"Thirty-five  hundred  dollars  for  these  two 
stones!"  exclaimed  Tom. 

"They  are  worth  every  cent  of  it,"  declared 
Mr.  Roberts.  "Do  you  want  to  sell?" 

Tom  shook  his  head.  He  could  scarcely  be- 
lieve the  good  news.  Mr.  Jenks  had  told  the 
truth.  Now  the  young  inventor  could  go  with 
him  to  seek  the  diamond  makers. 

"Can  you  get  any  more  of  these?"  went  on 
Mr.  Roberts. 

"I  think  so — that  is  I  don't  know — I  am 
going  to  try,"  answered  the  lad. 

"Then  if  you  succeed  I  wish  you  would  sell 
us  some,"  fairly  begged  the  proprietor  of  the 
store. 

"I  will,"  promised  Tom,  but  he  little  knew 


52    TOM  SWIPT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

what  lay  before  him,  or  perhaps  he  would  not 
have  made  that  promise.  He  thanked  the  dia« 
mond  merchant  for  his  kindness,  and  arranged 
to  have  the  cut  stone  set  in  a  pin  for  Miss 
Nestor.  The  uncut  gem  Tom  took  away  with 
him. 

Thinking  of  many  things,  and  wondering  how 
best  to  start  in  his  airship  Red  Cloud  for  the 
mysterious  Phantom  Mountain,  Tom  hurried 
back  to  where  he  had  left  the  monoplane, 
wheeled  it  out,  and  was  soon  soaring  through 
the  air  toward  Shopton. 

"I  think  I'll  go  with  Mr.  Jenks,"  he  decided, 
as  he  prepared  for  a  landing  in  the  open  space 
near  his  aeroplane  shed.  "It  will  be  a  risky 
trip,  perhaps,  but  I've  taken  risks  before.  When 
Mr.  Jenks  comes  to-night  I'll  tell  him  I'll  help 
him  to  get  his  rights,  and  discover  the  secret  of 
the  diamond  makers." 

As  Tom  was  wheeling  the  Butterfly  into  the 
shed,  Eradicate  came  out  to  help  him. 

"Dere's  a  gen'man  here  to  see  yo',  Massa 
Tom,"  said  the  colored  man. 

"Who  is  it?" 

"I  dunno.  He  keep  askin'  ef  yo'  de  lad  what 
done  bust  up  Earthquake  Island,  an'  send  light- 
nin'  flashes  up  to  de  sky,  an'  all  sech  questions 
laik  dat." 


A  MYSTERIOUS  MAN  53 

"It  isn't  Mr.  Damon;  is  it,  Rad?  He  hasn't 
been  around  in  some  time." 

"No,  Massa  Tom,  it  ain't  him.  I  knows  dat 
blessin'  man  good  an'  proper.  I  jest  wish  he'd 
bless  mah  mule  Boomerang  some  day,  an'  take 
some  ob  cle  temper  out  ob  him.  No,  sah,  it  ain't 
Massa  Damon.  De  gen'man's  in  de  airship  shed 
waitin'  fo'  you." 

"In  the  airship  shed!  No  strangers  are 
allowed  in  there,  Rad." 

"I  knows  it,  Massa  Tom,  but  he  done  per- 
sisted his  se'f  inter  it,  an'  he  wouldn't  come 
out  when  I  told  him;  an'  your  pa  an'  Mr.  Jack- 
son ain't  home." 

"I'll  see  about  this,"  exclaimed  Tom,  strid- 
ing to  the  large  shed,  where  the  Red  Cloud  was 
kept.  As  he  entered  it  he  saw  a  man  looking 
over  the  wonderful  craft. 

"Did  you  want  to  see  me?"  asked  Tom, 
sharply,  for  he  did  not  like  strangers  prowling 
around. 

"I  did,  and  I  apologize  for  entering  here,  but 
I  am  interested  in  airships,  and  I  thought  you 
might  want  to  hire  a  pilot.  I  am  in  need  of 
employment,  and  I  have  had  considerable  to 
do  with  balloons  and  aeroplanes,  but  never  with 
an  airship  like  this,  which  combines  the  two 
features-  Do  you  wish  to  hire  any  one/' 


54     TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

"No,  I  don't!"  replied  Tom,  sharply,  for  he 
did  not  like  the  looks  of  the  man. 

"I  was  told  that  you  did,"  was  the  rather 
surprising  answer. 

"Who  told  you?" 

The  man  looked  all  around  the  shed,  before 
replying,  as  if  fearful  of  being  overheard.  Then^ 
stepping  close  to  Tom,  he  whispered: 

"Mr.  Jenks  told  me!" 

"Mr.  Jenks?"  Tom  could  not  conceal  his 
astonishment. 

"Yes.  Mr.  Barcoe  Jenks.  But  I  did  not 
come  here  to  merely  ask  you  for  employment 
I  would  like  to  hire  out  to  you,  but  the  real 
object  of  my  visit  was  to  say  this  to  you." 

The  man  approached  still  closer  to  Tom,  and, 
in  a  lower  voice,  and  one  that  could  scarcely  b« 
heard,  he  fairly  hissed: 

"Don't  go  with  Barcoe  Jenks  to  seek  the 
diamond  makers!" 

Then,  before  Tom  could  put  out  a  hand  to 
detain  him,  had  the  lad  so  wished,  the  man 
turned  suddenly,  and  fairly  ran  from  the  shed 


CHAPTER  VI 

MR.   DAMON   IS   ON    HAND 

THE  YOUNG  inventor  stood  almost  spellbound 
for  a  few  moments.  Then  recovering  himself 
he  made  a  dash  for  the  door  through  which  the 
mysterious  man  had  disappeared.  Tom  saw 
him  sprinting  down  the  road,  and  was  half- 
minded  to  take  after  him,  but  a  cooler  thought 
warned  him  that  he  had  better  not. 

"He  may  be  one  of  those  men  who  are  on 
Mr.  Jenks'  trail,"  reasoned  Tom,  in  which  case 
it  might  not  be  altogether  safe  to  attempt  to 
stop  him,  and  make  him  explain.  Or  he  may 
be  a  lunatic,  and  in  that  case  it  wouldn't  be 
altogether  healthy  to  interfere  with  him. 

"I'll  just  let  him  go,  and  tell  Mr.  Jenks  about 
him  when  he  comes  to-night.  But  I  must  warn 
Rad  never  to  let  him  in  here  again.  He  might 
damage  the  airship." 

Calling  to  the  colored  man,  Tom  pointed  to 
the  stranger,  who  was  almost  out  of  sight  down 
the  road,  and  said  earnestly: 

* 


56    TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS, 

"Rad,  do  you  see  that  fellow?" 

"I  sho  do,  Massa  Tom,  but  I  sorter  has  t' 
strain  my  eyes  t'  do  it.  He's  goin'  laik  my  mule 
Boomerang  does  when  he's  comin'  home  t' 
tiinnah." 

"That's  right,  Rad.  Well,  never  let  that  man 
set  foot  inside  our  fence  again!  If  he  comes, 
and  I'm  home,  call  me.  If  I'm  away,  call  dad 
or  Mr.  Jackson,  and  if  you're  here  alone,  drive 
him  away,  somehow." 

"I  will,  Massa  Tom!"  exclaimed  the  colored 
man,  earnestly,  "an'  if  I  can't  do  it  alone,  I'll 
get  Boomerang  t'  help.  Once  let  dat  ar'  mule 
git  his  heels  on  a  pusson,  an'  dat  pusson  ain't 
goin'  t'  come  bodderin'  around  any  mo' — that 
is,  not  right  away." 

"I  believe  you,  Rad.  Well,  keep  a  lookout 
for  him,  and  don't  let  him  in,"  and  with  that 
Tom  entered  the  house  to  think  over  matters. 
They  were  beginning  to  assume  an  aspect  he 
did  not  altogether  like.  Not  that  Tom  was 
afraid  of  danger,  but  he  preferred  to  meet  it 
in  the  open,  and  the  warning,  or  threat,  of  thtf 
mysterious  man  disquieted  him. 

When  Mr.  Swift  came  home,  a  little  later, 
his  son  told  him  of  the  midnight  interview  with 
Mr.  Jenks.  for,  up  to  this  time,  the  aged  in- 
ventor was  unaware  of  it,  and  Tom  also  gave 


MR.  DAMON  IS  ON  HAND  57! 

ftn  account  of  the  diamonds,  speaking  of  theic 
value. 

"And  do  you  propose  to  go  to  Phantom 
Mountain,  in  search  of  the  makers  of  these 
gems,  Tom?"  asked  Mr.  Swift. 

"I  had  about  decided  to  do  so,  dad." 

"And  you're  going  in  the  Red  Cloud?' 

"Yes." 

"Who  are  going  with  you?" 

"Well,  Mr.  Jenks  will  go,  of  course,  and  I've 
no  doubt  but  that  if  I  mention  the  prospective 
trip  to  Mr.  Damon,  that  he'll  bless  his  skating 
cap,  or  something  like  that,  and  come  along." 

"I  suppose  so,  Tom,  and  I'd  like  to  have  you 
take  him.  But  I  think  you'll  need  some  one 
else." 

"Why?" 

"Because,  from  what  you  have  told  me,  you 
are  going  out  to  a  dangerous  part  of  the 
country,  and  you  may  have  to  deal  with  un- 
scrupulous men.  Three  of  you  are  hardly 
enough  to  cope  with  them.  You  ought  to  have 
at  least  another  member  of  your  party.  If  I 
was  not  busy  on  my  invention  of  a  new  wire- 
less motor  I  would  go  along,  but  I  can't  leave. 
You  might  take  Mr.  Jackson." 

"No,  you  need  him  here  to  help  you,  dad." 

"How  about  Eradicate?" 


5«    TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

Tom  smiled. 

"Rad  would  get  homesick  for  his  mule 
Boomerang,  and  I'd  have  to  bring  him  back 
just  when  we'd  found  the  diamonds,"  replied 
the  young  inventor.  "No,  we'll  have  to  think 
of  some  one  else.  I'll  ask  Mr.  Damon,  and  then 
I'll  consider  matters  further.  I  expect  to  see 
Mr.  Jenks  to-night,  and  he  may  have  some  one 
in  mind." 

"Perhaps  that  will  be  a  good  plan.  Well, 
Tom,  I  trust  you  will  take  good  care  of  your- 
self, and  not  run  into  unnecessary  danger.  Is 
the  Red  Cloud  in  good  shape  for  the  voyage?" 

"It  needs  looking  over.  I'm  going  to  get 
right  at  it." 

"It's  a  pretty  indefinite  sort  of  a  quest  you're 
going  on,  Tom,  my  son.  How  do  you  expect 
to  find  Phantom  Mountain?" 

"Well,  it's  going  to  be  quite  a  task.  In  the 
first  place  we'll  head  for  Leadville*  Colorado, 
and  them  we'll  go  to  Indian  Ridge  and  make 
some  inquiries.  We  may  get  on  the  track  of 
the  place  that  way.  If  we  don't,  why  I'll  take 
the  airship  up  as  high  as  is  necessary  and  sort  of 
prospect  until  we  see  that  big  cliff  that's  shaped 
like  a  head.  That  will  give  us  something  to 
go  by." 

"Well,  do  the  best  you  can.    If  you  can  dis- 


MR.  DAMON  IS  ON  HAND  59 

cover  the  secret  of  making  diamonds  it  will  be 
a  valuable  one." 

"I  guess  it  will,  dad;  and  Mr.  Jenks  is  en* 
titled  to  know  it,  for  he  paid  his  good  money 
to  that  end.  He  has  promised  to  go  halves 
with  me,  as  payment  for  the  use  of  the  airship, 
and  I  must  say  the  two  diamonds  he  gave  me 
last  night  have  proved  very  valuable." 

"Two  diamonds,  Tom?  You  only  showed 
me  one,  an  uncut  gem";  and  Mr.  Swift  looked 
at  his  son. 

"Oh,  the  other— er— the  other  is — I  left  it 
with  a  jeweler,"  and  Tom  blushed  a  trifle,  as  he 
thought  of  the  present  he  contemplated  mak- 
ing to  Mary  Nestor. 

That  afternoon,  as  Tom  was  out  in  the  shed 
of  the  Red  Cloud  looking  over  the  airship,  to 
see  what  would  be  necessary  to  do  to  it  in  order 
to  get  it  in  shape  for  a  long  trip,  he  heard 
voices  outside. 

"Yes — yes,  I  know  the  way  in  perfectly  well," 
he  caught.  "You  needn't  bother  to  come,  my 
good  fellow.  Just  step  this  way,  and  I'll  show 
you  something  worth  seeing." 

"I  wonder  if  it's  that  mysterious  man  conv 
ing  back?"  thought  Tom.  He  dropped  the  tool 
he  was  using,  and  hurried  to  the  door.  As 
he  approached  it  he  heard  the  voice  continue 


60     TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

"Why  bless  my  shoe  laces,  Mr.  Parked 
You'll  see  a  wonderful  airship,  I  promise  you. 
Wonderful!  Bless  my  hatband,  but  I  hope  Tom 
s  here!" 

"Mr.  Damon!"  exclaimed  our  hero,  as  he 
recognized  the  tones  of  his  eccentric  friend, 
"But  who  is  with  him?" 

A  moment  later  he  caught  sight  of  the  gentle* 
man  who  was  always  blessing  himself,  or  some* 
thing.  Behind  him  stood  another  man,  whose 
features  Tom  could  not  see  plainly . 

"Hello,  Tom  Swift!"  called  Mr.  Damon. 
"Looking  over  the  Red  Cloud,  eh?  Does  that 
mean  you're  off  on  another  trip?" 

"I  guess  it  does,"  answered  the  lad. 

"Where  to  this  time?  if  I  may  ask." 

"I'm  thinking  of  going  off  to  the  mountains 
to  find  a  band  of  men  engaged  in  making  dia- 
monds," replied  Tom. 

"Making  diamonds!  Bless  my  fingee:  ring) 
Making  diamonds!  A  trip  to  the  mountains^ 
Bless  my  disposition!  but  do  you  know  I'd  like 
to  go  with  you!" 

"I  was  thinking  of  asking  you,  Mr.  Damcn." 

"Were  you?  Bless  my  heart,  I'm  glad  you 
Bought  of  me.  You  don't  by  any  possible 
Chance  want  another  person;  do  you?" 

"We  were  thinking  of  having  four  in  the 


MR.  DAMON  IS  ON  HAND  6l 

party,  Mr.  Damon,"  and  Tom  wondered  who 
was  with  his  eccentric  friend. 

"Then  bless  my  election  ticket!  This  is  the 
very  chance  for  you,  Mr.  Parker!"  cried  Mr. 
Damon.  "Will  you  go  with  us?  It  will  be  just 
what  you  need,"  and  Mr.  Damon  stepped  aside, 
revealing  to  Tom  the  features  of  Mr.  Ralph 
Parker,  the  scientist  who  had  correctly 
dieted  the  destruction  of  Earthquake  Island, 


CHAPTER  VII 

MR.    PARKER    PREDICTS 

TOM  SWIFT  was  a  most  generous  lad,  bull 
when  he  saw  that  Mr.  Damon  had  with  him 
Mr.  Parker,  the  gloomy  scientist,  who  seemed 
to  take  delight  in  predicting  disasters,  our 
hero's  spirits  were  not  exactly  of  the  best.  He 
would  have  much  preferred  not  to  take  Mr. 
Parker  on  the  quest  for  the  diamond  makers, 
but,  since  Mr.  Damon  had  mentioned  it,  he 
did  not  see  how  he  could  very  well  refuse. 

"But  perhaps  he  won't  care  to  go,"  thought 
Tom. 

He  was  undeceived  a  moment  later,  however, 
for  the  scientist  remarked: 

"I  am  very  glad  to  meet  you  once  more,  Mr. 
Swift.  I  have  scarcely  thanked  you  enough 
lor  what  you  did  for  us  in  erecting  your  wire- 
less station  on  Earthquake  Island,  which,  as 
you  recall,  I  predicted  would  sink  into  the  sea. 
It  did,  I  am  glad  to  say,  not  because  I  like  to 
see  islands  destroyed,  but  because  science  has 


MR.  PARKER  PREDICTS  63 

been  vindicated.  Now  I  have  just  heard  you 
remark  that  you  are  about  to  set  off  to  the 
mountains  in  search  of  some  men  who  are  mak- 
ing diamonds.  I  need  hardly  state  that  this  is 
utterly  useless,  for  no  diamonds,  commercially 
valuable,  can  be  made  by  men.  But  the  trip 
may  be  valuable  in  that  it  will  permit  me  to 
demonstrate  some  scientific  facts. 

"Therefore,  if  you  will  permit  me,  I  will  be 
very  glad  to  accompany  you  and  Mr.  Damon.  I 
shall  be  delighted,  in  short,  and  I  can  start  as 
soon  as  you  are  ready." 

"There's  no  hope  for  it!"  thought  Tom,  dis- 
mally. "I  suppose  he'll  wake  up  every  morn- 
ing, and  predict  that  before  night  the  world 
will  come  to  an  end,  or  he'll  prophesy  that  the 
airship  will  blow  up,  and  vanish,  when  about 
seven  miles  above  the  clouds.  Well,  there's  no 
way  out  of  it,  so  here  goes." 

Thereupon  Tom  welcomed  the  scientist  as 
cordially  as  he  could,  and  invited  him  to  form 
one  of  the  party  that  would  set  off  in  the  air- 
ship to  search  for  Phantom  Mountain. 

"Bless  my  jewelry  box!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Da- 
mon, when  this  formality  was  over.  "Tell  me 
more  about  it,  Tom." 

Which  our  hero  did,  stating  the  need  of  main- 
taining secrecy  on  account  of  the  danger  to  Mr, 


©4     TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS, 

Jenks.  Mr.  Damon  and  Mr.  Parker  both  agreed 
to  say  lothing  about  the  matter,  and  then  the 
scientist  became  much  interested  in  the  Red 
Cloud,  which  he  closely  examined.  He  even 
complimented  Tom  on  the  skill  shown  in  mak- 
ing it,  and,  contrary  to  our  hero's  expectation, 
did  not  predict  that  it  would  blow  up  the  next 
time  it  was  used. 

"How  did  you  happen  to  arrive  just  at  this 
time,  Mr.  Damon?"  asked  Tom. 

"It  was  partly  due  to  Mr.  Parker,'*  was  tne 
answer.  *I  had  not  seen  him  since  we  were 
rescued  from  the  island,  until  a  few  days  ago 
he  called  on  me  at  my  home.  I  happened  to 
mention  that  you  lived  near  here,  and  sug- 
gested that  he  might  like  to  see  some  of  your 
inventions.  He  agreed,  and  we  came  over  in 
my  auto.  And  now,  bless  my  liver-pin!  I  find 
you  about  to  start  off  on  another  trip." 

"And  have  you  fully  decided  to  go  with  me?" 
asked  Tom.  "There  may  be  danger,  and  I  don't 
like  the  way  that  mysterious  man  behaved." 

"Oh,  bless  my  revolver!"  cried  Mr.  Damon. 
"I'm  used  to  danger  by  this  time.  Of  course 
I'm  going,  and  so  is  Mr.  Parker.  Do  you 
know,"  and  the  man,  who  was  always  blessing 
something,  came  closer  to  the  lad,  and  whis* 


MR.  PARKER  PREDICTS  65 

pere'd:  "Do  you  know,  Tom,  Mr.  Parker  is  a 
very  peculiar  individual." 

"I'm  sure  of  it,"  answered  the  young  inven* 
tor,  looking  at  the  gentleman  in  question,  who 
was  then  inside  the  airship  cabin. 

"But  he's  all  right,  even  if  he  is  predicting! 
unpleasant  things,"  went  on  Mr.  Damon.  "I 
think  we'll  get  better  acquainted  with  him  after 
a  bit." 

"I  hope  so,"  agreed  Tom,  but  he  did  not  real- 
ize then  how  close  his  companionship  with  Mr. 
Parker  was  to  be,  nor  what  dangers  they  were 
to  share  later. 

The  friends  talked  at  considerable  length  of 
the  prospective  trip,  and  Tom,  by  this  time, 
had  ascertained  what  needed  to  be  done  to  the 
airship  to  get  it  in  shape  to  travel.  It  would 
take  about  a  week,  and,  in  the  meanwhile,  Mr. 
Damon  would  go  home  and  get  his  affairs  in 
order  for  the  voyage.  Tom's  father  was  intro- 
duced to  Mr.  Parker,  and,  the  former,  finding 
that  the  scientist  held  some  views  in  common 
\vith  him,  invited  the  gloomy  predictor  to  re» 
main  at  the  Swift  home  until  the  Red  Cloud 
was  ready  to  sail.  Tom  could  not  repress  a 
groan  at  this,  but  he  decided  he  would  have  to 
make  the  best  of  it. 

Mr.   Damon  left  for  home  that  afternoon, 


66    TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

promising  to  be  on  hand  at  the  time  set  to 
start  for  Phantom  Mountain. 

Tom  was  up  waiting  for  Mr.  Jenks  at  twelve 
o'clock  that  night.  Shortly  after  the  hour  he 
saw  a  dark  figure  steal  into  the  orchard.  At 
first  he  feared  lest  it  might  be  one  of  the  spies 
who  were,  he  was  now  convinced,  on  the  trail 
of  the  man  who  was  seeking  to  discover  the 
secret  of  the  diamond  makers.  But  a  whistle, 
which  came  to  the  lad's  ear  a  moment  later 
(that  being  a  signal  Mr.  Jenks  had  agreed  to 
sound),  told  Tom  that  it  was  none  other  than 
the  visitor  he  expected. 

"All  right,  Mr.  Jenks,  I'm  here,"  called  Tom, 
cautiously.  "Come  over  this  way,"  and  he  went 
out  from  the  shadow  of  the  house,  where  he 
had  been  waiting,  and  met  the  men.  "We'll 
go  into  my  private  work-shop,"  the  youth 
added,  leading  the  way. 

"Have  you  decided  to  go  with  me?"  asked 
Mr.  Jenks,  in  an  anxious  whisper.  "Did  you 
find  the  diamonds  to  be  real  ones?" 

"I  did;  and  I'm  going,"  spoke  Tom. 

"Good!  That  relieves  my  mind.  But  we  are 
still  in  danger.  I  was  followed  by  my  shadower 
to-day,  and  only  succeeded  in  shaking  him  off 
just  before  coming  here.  I  don't  believe  he 
knows  what  I  am  about  to  do." 


MR.  PARKER  PREDICTS  6? 

"Oh,  yes  he  does,"  said  Tom. 

"He  does?    How?" 

"Because  he  was  here,  and  warned  me  against 
you!" 

"You  don't  mean  it!  Well,  they  are  getting 
desperate!  We  must  be  on  our  guard.  What 
sort  of  a  man  was  he?" 

Tom  described  the  fellow,  and  Mr.  Jenks 
stated  that  this  tallied  with  the  appearance  of 
the  person  who  had  been  shadowing  him. 

"But  we'll  fool  them  yet!"  cried  Tom,  who 
had  now  fully  entered  into  the  spirit  of  the. 
affair.  "If  they  can  follow  us  in  the  Red  Cloud 
they're  welcome  to.  I  think  we'll  get  ahead 
of  them." 

He  then  told  of  Mr.  Damon  and  Mr.  Parker, 
and  Mr.  Jenks  agreed  that  it  would  add  to  the 
strength  of  the  party  to  take  these  two  gentle- 
men along. 

"Though  I  can't  say  I  care  so  much  for  Mr. 
Parker,"  he  added.  "But  now  as  to  ways  and 
means.  When  can  we  start?" 

Thereupon  he  and  Tom  talked  over  details 
in  the  seclusion  of  the  little  office,  and  arranged 
to  leave  Shopton  in  about  a  week.  In  the 
meanwhile  the  airship  would  be  overhauled, 
stocked  with  supplies  and  provisions,  and  be 
made  ready  for  a  swift  dash  to  the  mountains* 


68    TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

"And  now  I  must  be  going,"  said  Mr.  Jenks. 
"I  have  a  great  deal  to  do  before  I  can  start 
on  this  trip,  and  I  hope  I  am  not  prevented  by 
any  of  those  men  who  seem  to  be  trailing  me." 

"How  could  they  prevent  you?"  Tom  wanted 
to  know. 

"Oh.  there  are  any  number  of  ways,"  was  the 
answer.  "But  I'm  glad  you  found  that  my  dia* 
monds  were  real.  We'll  soon  have  plenty,  if 
all  goes  well." 

As  Mr.  Jenks  left  the  shop,  he  started  back, 
in  some  alarm. 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  Tom. 

"Over  there — I  thought  I  saw  a  figure  sneak-* 
Ing  along  under  the  trees — that  man — per-*, 
haps " 

"That's  Eradicate,  our  colored  helper,"  re> 
plied  Tom,  with  a  laugh.  "I  posted  him  there 
to  see  that  no  strangers  came  into  the  orchard. 
Everything  all  right,  Rad?"  he  asked,  raising 
his  voice. 

"Yais,  sah,  Massa  Tom.  Nobody  been  around 
yeah  this  night." 

"That's  good.  You  can  go  to  bed  now/' 
and  Eradicate,  yawning  loudly,  went  to  his 
shack.  A  little  later  Tom  sought  his  own  room, 
Mr.  Jenks  having  hurried  off  to  town,  where  he 
was  boarding. 


MR.  PARKER  PREDICTS  69 

The  next  few  days  saw  Tom  busily  engaged 
on  the  airship,  making  some  changes  and  a  few 
repairs  that  were  needed.  His  father,  Eradi- 
cate and  Mr.  Jackson  helped  him.  As  for  Mr. 
Parker,  the  scientist,  he  went  about  the  place, 
being  much  interested  in  the  various  machines 
which  Tom  or  Mr.  Swift  had  patented. 

At  other  times  the  scientist  would  stroll 
about  the  extensive  grounds,  making  what  he 
said  were  "observations."  One  afternoon  Tom 
saw  him,  apparently  much  excited,  kneeling 
down  back  of  a  shed,  with  his  ear  to  the  ground. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  asked  the  lad,  think- 
ing perhaps  Mr.  Parker  might  be  ill. 

"Have  you  ever  had  any  earthquakes  here, 
Tom  Swift?"  asked  the  scientist,  quietly. 

"Earthquakes?  No.  We  had  enough  oi 
them  on  the  island." 

"And  you  are  going  to  have  one  here,  in 
about  two  minutes!"  cried  Mr.  Parker.  "I  pre- 
dict that  this  place  will  be  shaken  by  a  tre- 
mendous shock  very  soon.  We  had  all  better 
get  away  from  the  vicinity  of  buildings." 

"What  makes  you  think  there  will  be  an  earth- 
quake ?"  asked  Tom. 

"Because  I  can  hear  the  rumbling  beneath 
the  ground  at  this  very  minute.  It  is  increas- 
ing in  volume,  showing  that  the  tremors  are 


70     TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

working  this  way.  There  will  soon  be  a  great 
subterranean  upheaval!  Listen  for  yourself." 

Tom  cast  himself  down  on  the  grass.  Placing 
his  ear  close  to  the  ground  he  did  hear  a  series 
of  dull  thuds.  He  arose,  not  a  little  alarmed. 
There  had  never  been  any  earthquakes  in  Shop- 
ton,  yet  he  had  great  respect  for  Mr.  Parker's 
scientific  attainments. 

Just  then  Eradicate  Sampson  came  along. 
He  saw  Tom  and  Mr.  Parker  lying  flat  on  the 
ground,  and  surprise  showed  on  his  honest, 
black  face. 

"Fo'  de  land  sakes!"  cried  Eradicate.  "What 
am  de  mattah  now,  Massa  Tom?" 

"Earthquake  coming,"  answered  Tom,  brief- 
ly. "Better  get  away  from  the  buildings,  Rad. 
They  might  fall!"  Tom's  face  showed  the  alarm 
he  felt.  What  would  happen  to  all  of  his  valu- 
able machines — to  the  Red  Cloud? 

"Earthquake?"  murmured  Eradicate,  and  he, 
too,  cast  himself  down  to  listen.  A  moment 
later  he  arose  with  a  laugh. 

"What's  the  matter?"  cried  Tom. 

"Why,  dat  ain't  no  earthquake!"  declared  the 
colored  man. 

"No.  Then  perhaps  you  know  what  it  is," 
said  Mr.  Parker,  somewhat  sharply. 

"Course    I    knows   what   it   am,"    answered 


MR.  PARKER  PREDICTS  71 

Eradicate,  with  dignity.  "Dat  noise  am  my 
mule  Boomerang,  kickin'  in  his  stable,  on  ac- 
count ob  me  not  feedin'  him  yet.  Dat's  what 
it  am.  Fse  gwine  right  now  t'  gib  him  his 
oats,  and  den  yo'  see  dat  de  noise  stop. 
Boomerang  allers  kick  dat  way  when  he's 
hungry.  I  show  yo' !" 

And,  sure  enough,  when  Eradicate  had  gone 
to  the  mule's  stable,  which  was  near  where 
Mr.  Parker  had  heard  the  mysterious  sounds, 
they  immediately  ceased. 

"Dat  mule  was  all  de  earthquake  dere  was 
around  here,"  said  the  colored  man  as  he  came 
out. 

Mr.  Parker  walked  away,  saying  nothing,  and 
Tom  did  not  make  any  comments — just  then. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

OFF  FOR  THE  WEST 

IT  WAS  a  great  relief  to  Tom,  to  find  that 
there  was  no  danger  from  an  earth  tremor. 
Now  that  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  go  in 
search  of  the  diamond  makers,  he  wanted  noth- 
ing to  interfere  with  it.  Lest  the  feelings  of  Mr. 
Parker  might  be  hurt  by  the  mistake  he  had 
made,  the  young  inventor  cautioned  Eradicate 
not  to  say  anything  more  about  the  matter. 
'  'Deed  an'  I  won't,"  the  colored  man  pronv 
ised.  "I'se  only  too  glad  dere  wa'n't  no  earth- 
quake, dat's  what  I  is." 

As  for  Mr.  Parker,  he  did  not  appear  much 
put  out  by  his  error  in  predicting. 

"I  am  sure  that  what  I  heard  was  a  tremor, 
due  to  some  distant  earthquake  shock,"  he  said. 
"The  mule's  kicking  was  only  a  coincidence/' 

And  Tom  let  him  have  his  way  about  it.  The 
week  was  drawing  to  a  close,  and  the  Red  Cloud 
was  nearly  in  shape  for  the  voyage.  At  almost 
the  last  minute  Tom  found  that  he  needed  som? 

72 


OFF  FOR  TtiE  WEST  73 

electrical  apparatus  for  the  airship,  and  as  he 
had  to  go  to  Chester  for  it,  he  decided  he  would 
make  the  trip  in  his  monoplane,  and,  while  in 
the  city,  would  also  get  the  diamond  pin  he 
aras  having  made  for  Mary  Nestor. 

He  started  off  early  one  morning,  in  the  swift 
little  craft  Butterfly,  and  soon  had  reached 
Chester.  The  diamond  brooch  was  ready  for 
him. 

"It  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  stones  we 
have  ever  set/'  the  diamond  merchant  told  him. 
"Don't  forget,  if  you  find  any  more,  Mr.  Swift, 
to  let  us  have  a  chance  to  bid  on  them." 

"I  may,"  Tom  promised,  rather  indefinitely. 
Then,  having  purchased  his  electrical  supplies, 
he  made  a  quick  trip  to  Shopton,  stopping  on 
the  way  to  call  on  Miss  Nestor. 

"Why  Tom,  I'm  delighted  to  see  you!"  cried 
the  girl,  blushing  prettily.  "Did  you  come  for 
some  apple  turnovers?"  and  she  laughed,  as  she 
referred  to  a  call  Tom  had  once  paid,  when  a 
new  cook  had  been  engaged,  and  when  the 
pastry  formed  a  feature  of  the  meal. 

"No  turnovers  this  time,"  said  the  young 
inventor.  "I  came  to  wish  you  many  happy; 
returns  of  the  day." 

"Oh,  you  remembered  my  birthday!  How 
nice  of  you!" 


74    TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

"And  here  is  something  else,"  added  our  hero, 
rather  awkwardly,  as  he  handed  her  the  diamond 
pin. 

"Oh,  Tom!  This  for  me!  Oh,  it's  too  lovely— 
it's  far  too  much!" 

"It  isn't  half  enough!"  he  declared,  warmly. 

"Oh,  what  a  large  diamond!"  Mary  cried  as 
she  saw  the  sparkling  stone.  "I  never  saw  one 
so  large  and  beautiful!" 

"It's  just  as  easy  to  make  them  large  as 
small,"  explained  Tom. 

"Make  them?"  she  looked  the  surprise  she 
felt. 

"Yes,  I'm  about  to  start  for  the  place  where 
diamonds  are  made." 

"Oh,  Tom!  But  isn't  it  dangerous?  I  mean 
won't  you  have  to  go  to  some  far  country — 
like  Africa — to  get  to  where  diamonds  are 
made?" 

"Well,  we  are  going  on  quite  a  trip,  but  not 
as  far  as  that.  And  as  for  the  danger — well, 
we'll  have  to  take  what  comes,"  and  he  told 
her  something  of  the  proposed  quest. 

"Oh,  it  sounds — sounds  scary!"  Mary  ex- 
claimed, when  she  had  heard  of  Mr.  Tenks'  ex- 
perience. "Do  be  careful,  Tom!" 

"I  will,"  he  promised,  and,  somehow  he  was 
glad  that  she  had  cautioned  him  thus — and 


VFE  FOR  THE  WEST  75 

in  such  tones  as  she  had  used.  For  Mary  Nestoc 
was  a  girl  that  any  young  chap  would  have  been 
glad  to  have  manifest  an  interest  in  him. 
,  "Well,  I  guess  1*11  have  to  say  good-by," 
spoke  Tom,  at  length.  "We  expect  to  start  in 
a  couple  of  days,  and  I  may  not  get  another 
chance  to  see  you." 

"Oh,  I — I  hope  you  come  back  safely/' 
faltered  Mary,  and  then  she  held  out  her  hand, 
and  Tom — well,  it's  none  of  our  affair  what 
Tom  did  after  that,  except  to  say  that  he 
hurried  out,  fairly  jumped  into  his  monoplane, 
and  completed  the  trip  home. 

As  the  Red  Cloud  has  been  fully  described  in 
the  volume  entitled  "Tom  Swift  and  His  Air- 
ship/' we  will  not  go  into  details  about  it  now. 
Sufficient  to  say  that  it  was  a  combination  of 
a  biplane  and  dirigible  balloon.  It  could  be 
used  either  as  one  or  the  other,  and  the  gas- 
bag feature  was  of  value  when  the  wind  was 
too  great  to  allow  the  use  of  the  planes,  or 
when  the  motive  power,  for  some  reason 
stopped.  In  that  event  the  airship  could  re- 
main suspended  far  above  the  clouds  if  neces- 
sary. There  was  provision  for  manufacturing 
the  gas  on  board. 

The  Red  Cloud  was  fitted  up  to  accommodate 
about  ten  persons,  though  it  was  seldom  that 


?6    TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS^ 

this  number  was  carried.  Two  persons  could 
successfully  operate  the  machinery.  There  were 
sleeping  berths,  and  in  the  main  cabin  a  sitting- 
room,  a  dining-room,  and  a  kitchen.  There  was 
also  the  motor  compartment,  and  a  steering 
tower,  from  which  the  engines  could  be  con- 
trolled. 

It  was  in  this  craft  that  the  seekers  after  the 
diamond  makers  proposed  undertaking  the  trip* 
Mr.  Damon  came  on  from  his  home  in  Water- 
field  about  two  days  before  the  date  set  to 
leave,  and  Mr.  Jenks,  had,  three  days  before 
this,  taken  up  his  abode  at  the  Swift  home. 
Mr.  Parker,  as  has  been  stated,  was  already  there, 
and  he  had  put  in  his  time  making  a  number 
of  scientific  observations,  though  he  had  made 
no  more  predictions. 

Nothing  more  had  been  seen  of  the  mys- 
terious man  who  had  warned  Tom,  and  the 
young  inventor  and  Mr.  Jenks  began  to  hope 
that  they  had  thrown  their  enemies  off  the 
track. 

"Though  I  don't  imagine  they'll  give  up 
altogether,"  said  Mr.  Jenks.  "They're  too 
desperate  for  that.  We'll  have  trouble  with 
them  yet." 

"Well,  it  can't  be  helped,"  decided  Tom. 
.'We'll  try  and  be  ready  for  it,  when  it  comes/ 


OFF  FOR   THE   WEST  ft 

and  then,  dismissing  the  matter  from  his  mind, 
he  busied  himself  about  the  airship. 

The  food  and  supplies  had  all  been  put 
aboard,  and  they  expected  to  start  the  next 
morning.  In  order  to  make  sure  that  any 
stones  which  they  might  succeed  in  getting 
from  the  diamond  makers  were  real  gems,  a  set 
of  testing  apparatus  was  taken  along.  Mr. 
Parker  had  had  some  experience  in  this  line, 
and,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  might  make 
direful  predictions,  Tom  was  rather  glad,  after 
all,  that  the  scientist  was  going  to  accompany 
them. 

"But  what  is  worrying  me,"  said  Mr.  Damon, 
"is  what  we  are  going  to  do  after  we  get  to 
Phantom  Mountain.  What  are  your  plans,  Mr. 
Jenks?  Will  you  go  in,  and  demand  your  share 
of  the  diamond-making  business?" 

"I  have  a  right  to  it,  as  I  invested  a  large 
sum  in  it,  and  I  am  entitled  to  more  than  a 
half-share.  But,  of  course,  I  can't  say  what  I'll 
do  until  I  get  there.  We  may  have  to  act 
very  secretly." 

"I'm  inclined  to  think  we  will,"  said  Tom* 
"My  plan  would  be  to  gain  access  to  the  cave, 
if  possible,  and  watch  them  at  work.  We  might 
be  able  to  Sdiscover  the  secret  of  making  dia* 


78     TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS, 

monds,  and,  after  all,  that's  what  you  want, 
isn't  it,  Mr.  Jenks?" 

"Yes,  I  paid  my  money  for  the  secret,  and 
I  ought  to  have  it.  If  I  can  get  it  quietly,  so 
much  the  better.  If  not,  I'll  fight  for  my 
rights!"  and  he  looked  very  determined. 

"Bless  my  powder  horn!"  cried  Mr.  Damon. 
"That's  the  way  to  talk!  And  so  we  Ye  to  go 
cruising  about  in  the  air,  looking  for  a  mountain 
shaped  like  a  man's  head." 

"That's  it,"  agreed  Mr.  Jenks,  "and  when 
we  find  it  we  will  be  near  Phantom  Mountain, 
and  the  diamond  makers." 

The  final  details  were  completed  that  night. 
The  last  of  the  supplies  had  been  put  aboard, 
the  larder  was  well  stocked,  the  diamond  test- 
ing apparatus  was  stored  safely  away,  and  all 
that  remained  was  for  the  adventurers  to  board 
the  Red  Cloud  in  the  morning,  and  soar  away. 

That  night  Tom  was  uneasy.  Several  times 
he  got  up,  and  looked  toward  the  shed  where 
the  airship  was  stored.  He  could  not  rid  him- 
self of  the  idea  that  the  men  to  whose  interest 
it  was  that  the  diamond-making  secret  remain 
undiscovered,  might  attempt  to  wreck  the  air- 
ship before  the  start.  Consequently  both  Eradi- 
cate Sampson  and  Engineer  Jackson  were  on 
guard.  Tom  looked  from  his  window,  to  the 


OFF  FOR   THE   WEST  79 

shed  where  the  Red  Cloud  was  housed.  He 
saw  nothing  to  cause  him  any  uneasiness. 

"I  guess  I'm  just  nervous,"  he  mused.  "But, 
all  the  same,  I'll  be  glad  when  we've  started 
off." 

They  were  all  up  early  the  next  morning,  Mr. 
Damon  beginning  the  day  by  blessing  the  sun- 
rise, and  many  other  things  that  struck  his 
fancy.  The  airship  was  wheeled  out  of  the 
shed,  and  Tom  gave  her  a  final  inspection. 

"It's  all  right,"  he  declared.     "All  aboard!" 

"Now,  do  be  careful,"  begged  Mr.  Swift. 
"Don't  take  too  many  chances,  Tom." 

"I'll  not." 

The  adventurers  were  in  the  forward  part  of 
the  ship,  and  Tom  had  taken  his  place  at  the 
wheels  and  levers  in  the  pilot  house.  As  he 
Was  about  to  start  the  motor  he  looked  toward 
the  road,  and  saw  a  horse  and  carriage.  In  the 
vehicle  was  a  girlish  figure,  at  the  sight  of  which 
Tom  blushed  and  smiled.  He  waved  his  hand. 

"I  came  to  wish  you  good  luck!"  cried  Mary 
Nestor,  for  it  was  she  in  the  carriage. 

"Thanks!"  cried  Tom,  leaning  from  the  win- 
dow of  the  pilot  house.  "It  was  good  of  you 
to  get  up  so  early." 

"Oh.  I'm  always  up  early,"  she  informed  him. 


8o    TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

"Look  out  that  the  motor  doesn't  scare  your 
horse,"  Tom  warned  her. 

"Old  Dobbin  doesn't  mind  anything,"  was 
her  answer.  "I'll  see  that  he  doesn't  run  away 
i  with  me,  as  long  as  you're  not  on  earth  to 
rescue  me.  Good-by,  Tom!" 

"Good-by!"  he  called,  and  then  he  pulled  the 
lever  that  set  in  motion  the  motor,  and  whirled 
the  great  propellers  about.  They  whizzed 
around  with  a  roar,  and  the  Red  Cloud,  shiver- 
ing and  trembling  with  the  vibration,  rose  in  the 
air  like  some  great  bird. 

"We're  off  for  the  West  and  Phantom  Moun* 
tain!"  called  Tom  to  his  companions. 

As  the  airship  soared  upward,  Eradicate 
Sampson  ran  forward  from  where  he  had  been 
standing  near  his  mule  Boomerang.  He  waved 
his  hands,  and  shouted  something. 

"Bless  my  hatband!  What  does  he  want?" 
asked  Mr.  Damon,  watching  him  curiously. 

"It  sounds  as  if  he  were  calling  to  us  to  come 
back,"  spoke  Mr.  Parker. 

"It's  too  late  now,"  decided  Tom.  "Maybe 
he  forgot  to  tell  us  good-by,"  but,  he  felt  a 
vague  wonder  at  Eradicated  odd  motions;  for 
the  colored  man  was  pointing  toward  the  stern 
of  the  airship,  as  if  there  was  something  wrong 
there.  But  the  Red  Cloud  soared  on. 


CHAPTER  IX 

A  WARNING  BY  WIRELESS 

RAPIDLY  the  airship  ascended,  and,  when  fl 
was  high  over  the  town  of  Shopton,  Tom 
headed  the  craft  due  west.  Looking  down  he 
tried  to  descry  Mary  Nestor,  in  her  carriage, 
but  the  trees  were  in  the  way,  their  interlock- 
ing branches  hiding  the  girl.  Tom  did  see 
crowds  of  other  persons,  though,  thronging  the 
streets  of  Shopton,  for,  though  the  young  in- 
ventor had  made  many  flights,  there  was  always 
a  novelty  about  them,  that  brought  out  the 
curious. 

"A  good  start,  Tom  Swift,"  complimented 
Mr.  Parker.  "Is  it  always  as  easy  as  this?" 

"Starting  always  is,"  was  the  answer, 
"though,  as  the  Irishman  said,  coming  down 
Isn't  sometimes  quite  so  comfortable." 

"Bless  my  gizzard!  That's  so,"  cried  the 
eccentric  Mr.  Damon.  "Can  we  vol-plane  to 
earth  in  the  Red  Cloud,  Tom?" 

"Yes,  but  not  as  easily  as  in  the  Butterfly. 
81 


Sfc    TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

However  I  hope  we  will  not  have  to.  Now, 
Mr.  Damon,  if  you  will  just  take  charge  of  the 
steering  apparatus  for  a  minute,  I  want  to  go 
aft." 

"What  for?" 

"I  wish  to  see  if  everything  is  all  right.  I 
can't  imagine  why  Eradicate  was  making  those 
queer  motions." 

Mr.  Damon,  who  knew  how  to  operate  the 
Red  Cloud,  was  soon  guiding  her  on  the  course, 
while  Tom  made  his  way  to  the  rear  compart- 
ments, through  the  motor  room,  where  the 
stores  of  supplies  and  food  were  kept.  He 
made  a  careful  examination,  looking  from  an 
after  window,  and  even  going  out  on  a  small, 
open  platform,  but  could  discover  nothing 
wrong. 

"I  guess  Rad  was  just  capering  about  with- 
out any  special  object,"  mused  Tom,  but  it  was 
not  long  after  this  that  they  learned  to  their 
dismay,  that  the  colored  man  had  had  a  method 
*n  his  madness. 

On  his  way  back  through  the  motor  room 
Tom  looked  to  the  machinery,  and  adjusted 
aome  of  the  auxiliary  oil  feeders.  The  various 
pieces  of  apparatus  were  working  well,  though 
the  engine  had  not  yet  been  speeded  up  to  it3 
Tom  wanted  it  to  "warm-up"  first, 


A  WARNING  BY  WIRELESS  83 

"Everything  all  right?"  asked  Mr.  Damon,  as 
Tom  rejoined  them  in  the  pilot  house,  which 
was  just  forward  of  the  living  room  in  the  main 
cabin.  i 

"Yes,  I  can't  imagine  what  made  Rad  act 
that  way.  But  I'll  set  the  automatic  steering 
gear  now,  Mr.  Damon,  and  then  you  will  be 
relieved/' 

Mr.  Jenks  was  gazing  off  toward  the  west—- 
to where  he  hoped  to  discover  the  secret  of 
Phantom  Mountain. 

"How  do  you  like  it?"  asked  Tom. 

"It's  great,"  replied  the  diamond  man.  "I've 
never  been  in  an  airship  before,  and  it's  different 
than  what  I  expected;  but  it's  great!  It's  the 
only  craft  that  will  serve  our  purpose  among 
the  towering  mountain  peaks,  where  the  dia- 
mond makers  are  hidden.  I  hope  we  can  find 
them." 

In  a  little  while  the  Red  Cloud  was  skim- 
ming along  at  faster  speed,  guided  by  the  auto- 
matic rudders,  so  that  no  one  was  needed  in  the 
pilot  house,  since  there  was  no  danger  of  col- 
lisions. Airships  are  not  quite  numerous  enough 
lor  that,  yet,  though  they  may  soon  become  so. 

Tom  and  the  others  devoted  several  hours 
te  arranging  their  staterooms  and  bunks,  and 
getting  their  clothing  stowed  away,  and  when 


$4    TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS. 

this  was  done  Mr.  Parker  and  Mr.  Jenks  sat 
gazing  off  into  space. 

"It's  hard  to  realize  that  we  are  really  in  an 
airship/'  observed  the  diamond  man.  "At  first 
I  thought  I  would  be  frightened,  but  I'm  not 
a  bit.  It  doesn't  seem  as  if  anything  could 
happen." 

"Something  is  likely  to  happen  soon,"  said 
Mr.  Parker,  suddenly,  as  he  gazed  at  some 
weather  instruments  on  the  cabin  wall. 

"Bless  my  soul!  Don't  say  that!"  cried  Mr. 
Damon.  "What  is  it?" 

"I  think,  from  my  observations,  that  we  wfll 
soon  have  a  hurricane,"  said  the  scientific  man. 
"There  is  every  indication  of  it";  and  he  seemed 
quite  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  his  predic- 
tion coming  true. 

"A  hurricane!"  cried  Mr.  Damon.  "I  hope 
k  isn't  like  the  one  that  blew  us  to  Earthquake 
Island." 

"Oh,  I  think  there  will  be  no  danger,"  spoke 
Tom.  "If  it  comes  on  to  blow  we  will  ascend 
or  descend  out  of  the  path  of  the  storm.  This 
craft  is  not  like  the  ill-fated  Whizzer.  I  can 
more  easily  handle  the  Red  Cloud;  even  in  a 
\>ad  storm." 

"I'm  glad  to  hear  that,"  remarked  Mr.  Jeoks. 


A  WARNING  BY  WIRELESS  85 

"It  would  be  too  bad  to  be  wrecked  before 
we  got  to  Phantom  Mountain." 

"Well,  I  predict  that  we  will  have  a  bad 
storm,"  insisted  Mr.  Parker,  and  Tom  could 
not  help  wishing  that  the  scientist  would  keep 
his  gloomy  forebodings  to  himself. 

However  the  storm  had  not  developed  up 
to  noon,  when  Tom,  with  Mr.  Damon's  help, 
served  a  fine  meal  in  the  dining-room.  In  the 
afternoon  the  speed  of  the  ship  was  increased, 
and  by  night  they  had  covered  several  hundred 
miles.  Through  the  darkness  the  Red  Cloud 
kept  on,  making  good  time.  Tom  got  up,  occa- 
sionally, to  look  to  the  machinery,  but  it  was 
all  automatically  controlled,  and  an  alarm  bell 
would  sound  in  his  stateroom  when  anything 
went  wrong. 

"Bless  my  napkin!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Damon 
the  next  morning,  as  they  sat  down  to  a  break- 
fast of  fruit,  ham  and  eggs  and  fragrant  coffee, 
"this  is  living  as  well  as  in  a  hotel,  and  yet  we 
are — how  far  are  we  above  the  earth,  Tom?"  he 
asked,  turning  to  the  young  inventor. 

"About  two  miles  now.  I  just  sent  her  up,  as 
I  thought  I  detected  that  storm  Mr.  Parker 
spoke  of." 

"I  told  you  it  would  come,"  declared  the 
scientist,  and  there  was  a  small  hurricane  below 


86     TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

them  that  morning,  but  only  the  lower  edge  ol 
it  caught  the  Red  Cloudy  and  when  Tom  sent 
her  up  still  higher  she  found  a  comparatively 
quiet  zone,  where  she  slid  along  at  good  speed. 

That  afternoon  Tom  busied  himself  about 
some  wires  and  a  number  of  complicated  pieces 
of  apparatus  which  were  in  one  corner  of  the 
main  cabin. 

"What  are  you  doing  now?"  asked  Mr.  Jenks, 
who  had  been  talking  with  Mr.  Parker,  and 
showing  that  scientist  some  of  the  manufactured 
diamonds. 

"Getting  our  wireless  apparatus  in  shape," 
answered  the  lad.  "I  should  have  done  it  be- 
fore, but  I  had  so  much  to  do  that  I  couldn't 
get  at  it.  I'm  going  to  send  off  some  messages. 
Dad  will  want  to  know  how  we  are  doing." 

As  he  worked  away,  he  also  made  up  his  mind 
to  send  another  message,  in  care  of  his  father, 
for  there  was  a  receiving  station  in  the  Swift 
home.  And  to  whom  this  message  was  ad- 
dressed Tom  did  not  say,  but  we  fancy  some  o' 
our  readers  can  guess. 

Finally,  after  several  hours  of  work,  the  wire- 
less was  in  shape  to  send  and  receive  messages. 
Tom  pulled  over  the  lever,  and  a  crackling 
sound  was  heard,  as  the  electricity  leaped  from 


A  WARNING  BY  WIRELESS  87 

the  transmitters  into  space.  Then  he  clamped 
the  receiver  on  his  ear. 

"All  ready,"  he  announced.  "Has  anybody 
any  messages  they  wish  sent?"  For,  with  the 
courtesy  of  a  true  host  he  was  ready  to  serve 
his  guests  before  he  forwarded  his  own  wire- 
less notes. 

"Just  tell  my  wife  that  I'm  enjoying  myself," 
requested  Mr.  Damon.  "Bless  my  footstool! 
But  this  is  great!  We're  off  the  earth  yet,  con- 
nected with  it." 

Mr.  Jenks  had  no  one  to  whom  he  wanted 
to  send  any  word,  but  Mr.  Parker  wish  to  wire 
to  a  fellow  scientist  the  result  of  some  observa-* 
tions  made  in  the  upper  air. 

Tom  noted  all  the  messages  down,  and  then, 
when  all  was  in  readiness  he  began  to  call  his 
home  station.  He  knew  that  either  his  father 
or  Mr.  Jackson,  the  engineer,  could  receive  the 
wireless. 

But,  no  sooner  had  the  young  inventor  sent 
off  the  first  few  dots  and  dashes  representing 
*S.  I." — his  home  station  call — than  he  started 
and  a  look  of  surprise  came  over  his  face, 

"They're  calling  us!"  he  exclaimed. 

"Who  is?"  asked  Mr.  Jenks. 

"My  house — my  father.  He — he's  been  try- 
ing  to  get  us  ever  since  we  started,  but  I  didn't 


88    TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKER* 

have  the  wireless  in  shape  to  receive  messages. 
Oh,  I  hope  it's  not  too  late!" 

"Too  late!  Bless  my  soul,  too  late  for  what?* 
gasped  Mr.  Damon,  somewhat  alarmed  by 
Tom's  manner. 

The  lad  did  not  answer  at  once.  He  was  in/ 
tently  listening  to  a  series  of  dots  and  dashet 
fchat  clicked  in  the  telephone  receiver  clamped 
to  his  left  ear.  On  his  face  there  was  a  look  of 
worriment. 

"Father  has  just  sent  me  a  message,"  he  said. 
"It's  a  warning  flashed  through  space!  He's 
been  trying  to  get  it  to  me  since  yesterday!'* 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Mr.  Jenks,  rising  from 
his  seat. 

"The  mysterious  man  is  aboard  the  airship — . 
hidden  away!"  cried  Tom.  "That's  what  Eradi- 
cate was  trying  to  call  to  our  attention  as  we 
started  off.  Eradicate  saw  his  face  at  a  rear 
window,  and  tried  to  warn  us!  The  mysteri* 
eus  man  is  a  stowaway  on  board  I" 


CHAPTER  X 

DROPPING  THE  STOWAWAY 

TOM'S  excited  announcement  startled  Mr. 
Damon  and  the  others  as  much  as  if  the  young 
inventor  had  informed  them  that  the  airship 
had  exploded  and  was  about  to  dash  with  them 
to  the  earth.  The  men  leaped  to  their  feet,  and 
stared  at  the  lad. 

"A  stowaway  on  board!"  cried  Mr.  Damon. 
"Bless  my  soul!  How  did  he " 

"Are  you  sure  that  message  is  straight?" 
asked  Mr.  Jenks.  "Did  Eradicate  see  the  man?" 

"He  says  he  did,"  answered  Tom.  "The  man 
is  hidden  away  on  board  now — probably  among 
the  stores  and  supplies." 

"Bless  my  tomato  sauce!"  exploded  Mr.  Da- 
mon. "I  hope  he  doesn't  eat  them  all  up!" 

"We  must  get  him  out  at  once!"  declared  Mr. 
Jenks. 

"I  knew  something  would  happen  on  this 
voyage,"  came  from  Mr.  Parker.  "I  predicted 
it  from  the  first!" 

89 


§0    TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

Tom  thought  considerable,  but  he  did  not 
answer  the  scientist  just  then.  Another  com- 
munication was  coming  to  him  by  wireless.  He 
listened  intently. 

"Father  says/*  the  lad  told  his  companions^ 
"that  Eradicate  only  had  a  glimpse  of  the  man 
at  the  last  moment.  He  was  looking  from  the 
rear  store-room  window — he's  the  same  man 
who  called  on  me  that  time — Rad  remembers 
him  very  well." 

"Bless  my  shoes!  What's  to  be  done?"  in* 
quired  Mr.  Damon,  looking  around  helplessly. 

"We  must  get  him  out,  that's  all,"  decided 
Mr.  Jenks,  with  vigor.  "Get  him  out  and  drop 
him  overboard!" 

"Drop  him  overboard!"  cried  Mr.  Parker,  in 
horror. 

"Not  exactly,  but  get  rid  of  him,"  proceeded 
the  diamond  seeker.  "That  man  is  one  of  my 
enemies.  He  has  been  sent  by  the  band  of 
diamond  makers  hidden  among  the  mountains, 
to  spy  on  me,  and,  if  possible,  prevent  me  from 
seeking  to  discover  their  secret.  He  tried  to! 
work  on  Tom's  Swift's  fears,  and  frighten  him 
from  using  his  airship  on  this  quest.  Then, 
when  he  failed,  the  man  must  have  sneaked  into 
the  shed,  and  hidden  himself  in  the  ship.  We 


DROPPING  THE  STOWAWAY  92 

must  get  rid  of  him,  or  he  may  wreck  the 

Red  Cloud!" 

"That's  so!"  cried  Tom.  "We  must  try  to 

rapture  him.  I  think  we  had  better "  the 

1ad  paused,  and  again  listened  to  the  wireless 
message.  "Father  says  Eradicate  saw  the  man 
have  a  gun,  so  we  must  be  careful,"  the  young 
inventor  translated  the  dots  and  dashes. 

"Bless  my  powder  horn!"  exploded  Mr. 
Damon. 

"We  shall  have  to  proceed  cautiously  then," 
spoke  Mr.  Jenks.  "If  he  is  like  any  others  in 
the  gang  he  is  a  desperate  man." 

"Better  sneak  up  on  him  then,  if  we  can," 
proposed  Mr.  Parker.  "There  are  enough  of 
us  to  cope  with  one  man,  even  if  he  is  armed. 
You  have  weapons  aboard,  haven't  you?"  he 
inquired  of  Tom. 

"Yes,"  was  the  hesitating  answer,  "but  I 
don't  want  to  use  them  if  I  can  help  it.  Not 
only  because  of  the  danger,  and  a  dislike  of 
shedding  blood,  but  because  a  stray  bullet  might 
pierce  the  gas  bag  and  damage  the  ship." 

"That's  so,"  agreed  Mr.  Jenks.  "Well,  I 
guess  if  we  go  at  it  the  right  way  we  can  cap- 
ture him  without  any  shooting.  But  we  must 
talk  more  quietly — we  ought  to  have  whispered 
—he  may  have  heard  us." 


92     TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

"I  don't  think  so,"  replied  Tom.  "The  store- 
room is  far  enough  off  so  that  he  couldn't  hear 
us.  Besides,  the  motor  makes  such  a  racket 
that  he  couldn't  distinguish  what  we  were  talk- 
ing about,  even  if  he  heard  our  voices.  So,  un» 
less  he  heard  the  wireless  working,  and  sus-« 
pects  something  from  that,  he  probably  doesn't 
know  that  we  are  aware  of  his  presence  aboard." 

"But  why  do  you  think  he  has  remained  quiet 
all  this  while,  Tom?"  asked  Mr.  Damon. 

"Probably  he  wants  to  wait  until  the  ship  is 
farther  out  west,"  suggested  Mr.  Jenks.  "Then 
he  will  be  nearer  his  friends,  and  can  get  help, 
if  he  needs  it." 

"And  do  you  really  believe  he  would  destroy 
the  Red  Cloud?"  asked  Mr.  Parker. 

"I  think  that  all  he  is  waiting  for  is  a  favor- 
able chance,"  declared  the  diamond  seeker.  "He 
would  destroy  the  craft,  and  us  too,  if  he  could 
prevent  us  from  discovering  the  secret  of  Phan- 
tom Mountain,  I  believe." 

"Then  we  must  get  ahead  of  him,"  decided 
Tom,  quietly.  "I  have  just  flashed  to  dad  a 
message,  telling  him  that  we  will  heed  his  warn- 
ing. Now  to  capture  the  stowaway!" 

"And  while  we're  about  it,  give  him  a  good 
scare  when  we  do  get  him,"  suggested  Mr. 
Jenks. 


DROPPING  THE  STOWAWAY  93 

"How?"  asked  Tom. 

"Threaten  to  drop  him  overboard.  Perhaps 
that  will  make  him  tell  how  he  happened  to  get 
in  our  ship,  and  what  are  the  plans  of  the  gang 
of  diamond  makers.  We  may  get  valuable  in- 
formation that  way/1 

"1  don't  believe  you  can  scare  such  fellows 
much,"  was  Tom's  opinion,  but  it  was  agreed 
to  try. 

"How  are  you  going  to  capture  him?"  asked 
Mr.  Parker.  "If  he  has  a  gun  it  won't  be  any 
too  easy  to  go  in  the  storeroom,  and  drag 
him  out." 

"We'll  have  to  use  a  little  strategy,"  decided 
Tom,  and  then  they  discussed  several  plans. 
The  one  finally  adopted  was  that  Tom  and  Mr. 
Damon  should  enter  the  storeroom,  casually, 
as  if  in  search  of  food  to  cook  for  supper.  They 
would  discuss  various  dishes,  and  Mr.  Damon 
was  to  express  a  preference  for  something  in 
the  food  line,  the  box  containing  which,  was 
well  back  in  the  room.  This  would  give  the 
two  a  chance  to  penetrate  to  the  far  end  of 
the  apartment,  without  arousing  the  suspicions 
of  the  hidden  man,  who,  doubtless,  would  be 
listening  to  the  conversation. 

"And  as  soon  as  we  get  sight  of  him,  you 
and  I  will  jump  right  at  him,  Mr.  Damon,"  said 


94     TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

Tom.  "JumP  before  he  has  a  chance  to  use  his 
gun.  Mr.  Jenks  and  Mr.  Parker  will  be  wait- 
ing outside  the  room,  to  catch  him  if  he  gets 
away  from  us.  I'll  have  some  ropes  ready,  and 
we'll  tie  him  up,  and — well,  we'll  decide  later 
what  to  do  with  him." 

"All  right.  I'm  ready  as  soon  as  you  are, 
Tom,"  said  the  eccentric  man.  "Come  ahead." 

They  went  softly  to  the  storeroom,  and 
listened  at  the  door.  There  was  no  sound  heard 
save  that  made  by  the  machinery. 

"I  wonder  if  he's  really  here?"  whispered  Mr. 
Damon. 

"We'll  soon  find  out,"  answered  Tom.  "Let's 
go  in." 

They  entered,  and,  in  pursuance  of  their  plan, 
Tom  and  his  friend  talked  of  various  foods. 

"I  think  I'd  like  some  of  that  canned  lobster, 
with  French  dressing  on,"  spoke  the  eccentric 
man. 

"That's  away  in  the  back  end  of  the  room," 
said  Tom,  in  a  loud  voice.  "It's  under  a  lot 
of  boxes." 

"Then  I'll  help  you  get  it  out!  Bless  my 
frying  pan!  but  I  am  very  fond  of  lobster!"  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Damon,  in  as  natural  tones  as  was 
possible  under  the  circumstances. 

He  and  Tom  moved  cautiously  back  among 


DROPPING  THE  STOWAWAY  93 

the  boxes  and  barrels.  They  were  glancing 
about  with  eager  eyes.  Tom  switched  on  an 
electric  light,  and,  the  instant  he  did  so,  he 
was  aware  of  a  movement  in  a  little  space 
formed  by  one  box  which  was  placed  on  top 
of  two  others.  The  lad  saw  a  dark  figure  mov- 
ing, as  if  to  get  farther  out  of  sight. 

"I've  got  him!"  cried  Tom,  making  a  dive 
for  the  shadow. 

A  moment  later  the  young  inventor  was 
bowled  over,  as  a  dark  figure  leaped  over  his 
head. 

"Catch  him,  Mr.  Damon!"  he  cried. 

"Bless  my  hatband!  I— I "  Mr.  Damon's 

voice  ended  in  a  grunt.  He,  too,  had  been 
knocked  down  by  the  fleeing  man. 

"Look  out,  Mr.  Jenks!"  cried  Tom,  to  warn 
those  on  guard  at  the  door  of  the  storeroom. 

There  was  the  report  of  a  gun,  some  excited 
shouts,  and  when  Tom  could  scramble  to  his 
feet,  and  rush  out,  he  beheld  Mr.  Parker  calmly 
sitting  on  a  struggling  man,  while  Mr.  Jenks 
held  a  gun,  that  was  still  smoking. 

"We  caught  him!"  cried  the  scientist. 

"Anybody  hurt?"  asked  Tom,  anxiously. 

"No,  I  knocked  up  his  gun  as  he  fired,"  ex- 
plained Mr.  Jenks.  "Where  are  the  ropes, 
Tom?" 


96     TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

The  cords  were  produced  and  the  man,  who 
had  now  ceased  to  struggle,  was  tightly  bound. 
He  uttered  not  a  word,  but  he  smiled  grimly 
when  Mr.  Damon  remarked: 

"I  guess  I'll  go  back  in  the  storeroom,  Tom, 
and  see  how  much  food  he  ate." 

"Oh,  I  guess  he  didn't  take  much,"  declared 
the  lad.  "He  wasn't  there  long  enough." 

"Well,  Farley  Munson,  so  it's  you,  is  it?" 
asked  Mr.  Jenks,  as  he  surveyed  the  prisoner. 

"Do  you  know  him?"  asked  Tom,  in  some 
surprise. 

"He  was  in  with  the  diamond  makers,"  said 
Mr.  Jenks.  "He  was  one  of  those  who  took 
me  to  the  secret  cave.  But  it  will  be  the  last 
time  he  ever  goes  there.  How  high  up  are 
we,  Tom?" 

"About  two  miles.    Why?" 

"I  guess  that  will  be  far  enough  to  let  him 
fall,"  went  on  the  diamond  seeker.  "Come  on, 
Mr.  Damon,  help  me  throw  him  overboard!" 

"You — you're  not  going  to  throw  me  over — 
with  the  airship  two  miles  high;  are  you?" 
gasped  the  man. 

"Will  you  tell  us  what  we  want  to  know,  if 
we  don't?"  asked  Mr.  Jenks. 

"What  do  you  want  to  know?" 


DROPPING  THE  STOWAWAY  97 

"How  you  got  aboard,  and  what  your  object 
was  in  coming." 

"That's  easy  enough.  I  had  been  hanging 
around  the  shed  for  several  days,  watching  a 
chance  to  get  in.  Finally  I  saw  it,  when  that 
colored  man  went  to  feed  his  mule,  and  I  slipped 
in,  and  hid  in  the  airship.  The  stores  were  all 
in  then,  and  I  stowed  myself  away  among  the 
boxes.  I  had  food  and  water,  so  I  didn't  touch 
any  of  yours,"  and  he  looked  at  Mr.  Damon, 
who  seemed  much  relieved. 

"And  what  was  your  object?"  demanded  Mr. 
Jenks. 

"I  wanted  to  prevent  you  from  going  to 
Phantom  Mountain." 

"How?" 

"By  destroying  the  airship  if  need  be.  But 
I  hoped  to  accomplish  it  by  other  means.  I 
would  have  stopped  at  nothing,  though,  to  pre- 
vent you.  You  must  keep  away  from  there!" 

"And  if  we  refuse?"  asked  Tom. 

"Then  you'll  have  to  take  what  comes!" 

"But  not  from  you!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Jenks.' 
"We're  going  to  get  rid  of  you." 

The  man's  face  showed  the  alarm  he  felt. 

"Oh,  don't  worry,"  said  Mr.  Jenks,  quickly, 
"we're  not  going  to  toss  you  overboard.  We're 
not  as  desperate  as  your  crowd.  But  we're 


98    TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

going  to  get  rid  of  you,  and  then  go  on  before 
you  can  send  any  word  to  your  confederates* 
We'll  put  you  off  in  the  most  lonesome  spot  we 
can  find,  and  I  guess  you'll  be  some  time  getting 
back  to  civilization.  By  that  time  we'll  have 
the  secret  of  the  diamonds." 

"You  never  will!"  declared  the  man,  firmly. 
And  he  would  say  nothing  more,  though  by 
threats  and  promises  Mr.  Jenks  tried  to  get 
from  him  something  about  the  men  in  with  him, 
and  where  the  cave  of  the  diamonds  was  located. 

Heavily  bound  with  ropes  the  man  was  locked 
in  a  small  closet,  to  be  kept  there  until  a  favor- 
able spot  was  reached  for  letting  him  go.  Mr 
Jenks'  plan,  of  dropping  him  down  in  some  plao. 
where  he  would  have  difficulty  in  sending  on 
word  to  his  confederates  was  considered  a  good 
one. 

Three  days  later,  in  crossing  over  a  lonely 
region,  near  the  Nebraska  National  Forest,  Far- 
lay  Munson,  which  was  one  of  the  names  the 
spy  went  by,  was  dropped  off  the  airship,  when 
it  was  sent  down  to  within  a  few  feet  of  the 
earth. 

"It  will  take  you  some  time  to  get  to  a  tele- 
graph office,"  said  Mr.  Jenks,  as  a  package  oi 
food,  and  a  flask  of  water  was  tossed  down  to 


DROPPING  THE  STOWAWAY  99 

the  stowaway.  He  shook  his  fist  at  those  in  the 
airship,  and  shouted  after  them: 

"You'll  never  discover  the  secret  of  Phantom 
Mountain!" 

"Yes,  we  will,"  declared  Tom,  as  he  sent  th( 
Red  Cloud  high  into  the  air  again. 


CHAPTER  XI 

A   WEARY   SEARCH 

DURING  the  three  days  when  the  stowaway 
had  been  kept  a  prisoner,  the  Red  Cloud  had 
made  good  time  on  her  western  trip.  She  was 
now  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from 
Leadville,  Colorado,  and  Tom  knew  he  could 
accomplish  that  distance  in  a  short  time.  It 
was  necessary,  therefore,  since  they  were  so  close 
to  the  place  where  the  real  search  would  begin, 
to  make  some  more  definite  plans. 

"We  will  need  to  replenish  our  supply  of 
gasoline,"  said  Tom,  shortly  after  the  stowaway 
had  been  dropped,  and  when  the  young  inventor 
had  made  a  general  inspection  of  the  airship. 

"Is  it  all  gone?"  inquired  Mr.  Damon. 

"Not  all,  but  we  will  soon  be  in  the  wildest 
part  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  gasoline  is 
difficult  to  procure  there.  So  I  want  to  fill  all 
our  reserve  tanks.  But  I  would  rather  do  that 
before  we  get  far  into  Colorado." 

^Why?"  inquired  Mr.  Parker. 
100 


A  WEARY  SEARCH  JO1 

"Because  airships  are  not  so  common  but 
what  the  appearance  of  one  attracts  attention. 
Ours  is  sure  to  be  talked  about,  and  commented 
on.  In  that  case,  in  spite  of  our  precaution  in 
putting  Munson  off  in  this  lonely  place,  word 
of  the  Red  Cloud  being  in  the  vicinity  of  Lead* 
rille  may  reach  the  diamond  makers,  and  put 
them  on  their  guard.  We  want  to  take  them 
unawares  if  we  can." 

"That's  so,"  agreed  Mr.  Jenks.  "We  had 
better  get  our  gasoline  at  the  first  stopping 
place,  then,  and  proceed  with  our  search.  Our 
first  object  ought  to  be  to  look  for  the  land- 
mark— the  head  of  stone.  Then  we  can  begin 
to  prospect  about  a  bit." 

"My  idea,  exactly,"  declared  Tom.  "Well, 
then,  I'll  go  down  at  the  first  place  we  cross, 
where  we  can  get  gasoline,  and  then  we'll  be 
in  a  position  to  hover  in  the  air  for  a  long  time, 
without  descending." 

The  airship  kept  on  her  way,  traveling  slowly 
the  remainder  of  that  day,  a?  id  at  dusk,  when 
there  was  less  chance  of  big  cr  >wds  seeing  them, 
the  Red  Cloud  was  sent  dowr ,  on  the  outskirts 
of  a  large  village.  Tom  and  Mr.  Damon  went 
to  a  supply  store,  and  arranged  to  have  a  suffi- 
cient quantity  of  the  gasoline  taken  out  to  the 
airship.  It  wac  delivered  after  dark,  and  little 


102  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKER* 

talk  was  occasioned  by  the  few  who  were  aware 
of  the  presence  of  the  craft.  Then,  once  more, 
they  went  aloft,  and  Tom  sent  several  wireless 
messages  to  Shopton,  including  one  to  Miss 
Nestor. 

"Please  tell  my  wife  that  I  am  well,  and  that 
I  have  a  good  appetite,"  said  Mr.  Damon. 

Mr.  Parker  also  sent  a  message  to  a  scien-i 
tific  friend  of  his,  stating  that  he  made  some 
observations  among  the  mountains,  of  the 
region  in  which  the  airship  then  was,  and  that 
the  indications  were  that  a  great  landslide  would 
soon  take  place. 

"That  won't  worry  us,"  spoke  Tom,  "for 
we'll  be  far  above  it." 

"I  hope  we  will  be  near  enough  to  enable  me 
to  observe  it,  and  make  some  scientific  notes," 
came  from  Mr.  Parker.  "I  am  positive  that  one 
of  these  mountain  peaks  that  we  saw  to-day 
will  disappear  in  a  landslide  within  a  few  days. 
I  have  an  instrument  somewhat  like  the  one 
that  records  earthquakes,  and  it  has  been  acting 
strangely  of  late." 

Tom  wondered  what  enjoyment  Mr.  Parker 
got  out  of  life,  when  he  was  always  looking  for 
some  calamity  to  happen,  but  the  scientist 
seemed  to  take  as  much  pleasure  in  his  gloomy 


A  WEARY  SEARCH  103 

forebodings  now,  as  he  had  on  Earthquake 
Island. 

They  reached  the  vicinity  of  Leadville  the 
next  day,  but  took  care  to  keep  high  above  the 
city,  so  that  the  airship  could  not  be  observed. 
With  powerful  glasses  they  examined  the  moun- 
tainous country,  looking  for  the  little  settle- 
ment of  Indian  Ridge. 

"There  it  is!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Jenks,  just  as 
dusk  was  settling  down.  I  can  make  out  the 
hotel  I  stopped  at.  Now  we  can  really  begin 
our  search.  The  next  thing  is  to  find  the  stone 
head,  and  then,  I  think,  I  will  have  my  bear- 
ings." 

"We'll  begin  the  hunt  for  that  landmark  in 
the  morning,"  said  Tom. 

High  in  the  air  hovered  the  Red  Cloud.  At 
that  distance  above  the  earth  she  must  have 
looked  like  some  great  bird,  and  the  adventurers 
thought  it  unlikely  that  any  one  in  the  vicinity 
of  Leadville  would  observe  them. 

The  quest  for  the  great  mountain  peak,  that 
looked  like  a  stone  head,  was  under  way.  Back 
and  forth  sailed  the  airship.  Sometimes  she 
was  enveloped  in  fog,  and  no  sight  could  be  had 
of  the  earth  below.  At  other  times  there  were 
rain  storms,  which  likewise  prevented  a  view. 
Mr.  Parker  was  on  the  lookout  for  his  predicted 


104  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

mountain  landslide,  but  it  did  not  occur,  and 
he  was  much  disappointed. 

"It's  queer  I  can't  pick  out  that  landmark," 
said  Mr.  Jenks  after  two  days  of  weary  search- 
ing, when  their  eyes  were  strained  from  long 
peering  through  telescopes.  "I'm  sure  it  was 
around  Indian  Ridge,  yet  we've  covered  almost 
all  the  ground  in  this  neighborhood,  and  I 
haven't  had  a  glimpse  of  it." 

"Perhaps  it  was  destroyed  in  a  landslide,  of 
some  cataclysm  of  nature,"  suggested  Mr.  Par- 
ker. "That  is  very  possible." 

"If  that's  the  case  we're  going  to  have  a  hard 
time  to  locate  the  cave  of  the  diamond  makers," 
answered  Mr.  Jenks,  "but  I  hope  it  isn't  so/1 

They  continued  the  search  for  another  day, 
and  then  Tom,  as  they  sat  in  the  comfortable 
cabin  of  the  airship  that  night,  hovering  almost 
motionless  (for  the  motor  had  been  shut  down) 
made  a  proposition. 

"Why  not  descend  in  some  secluded  place," 
he  suggested,  "and  wander  around  on  foot,  mak- 
ing inquiries  of  the  miners.  They  may  know 
where  the  stone  head  is,  or  they  may  even  know 
about  Phantom  Mountain." 

"Good  idea,"  spoke  Mr.  Jenks.    "We'll  do  it." 

Accordingly,  the  next  morning,  the  Red 
Cloud  was  lowered  in  a  good  but  lonely  land- 


A  WEARY  SEARCH  105 

ing  place,  and  securely  moored.  It  was  in  a 
valley,  well  screened  from  observation,  and  the 
craft  was  not  likely  to  be  seen,  but,  to  guard 
against  any  damage  being  done  to  it  by  pass- 
ing hunters  or  miners,  Mr.  Parker  and  Mr.  Da- 
mon agreed  to  remain  on  guard  in  it,  while  Tom 
and  Mr.  Jenks  spent  a  day  or  two  traveling 
around,  making  inquiries. 

The  young  inventor  and  his  companion  pro- 
ceeded on  foot  to  a  small  settlement,  where 
they  hired  horses  on  which  to  make  their  way 
about.  They  were  to  be  gone  two  days,  and 
in  that  time  they  hoped  to  get  on  the  right 
trail. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  GREAT  STONE  HEAD 

IT  WAS  a  wild  and  desolate  country  in  which 
Tom  Swift  and  Mr.  Jenks  were  traveling.  Vil- 
lages were  far  apart,  and  they  were  at  best  but 
small  settlements.  In  their  journeys  from  place 
to  place  they  met  few  travelers. 

But  of  these  few  they  made  cautious  inquiries 
as  to  the  location  of  Phantom  Mountain,  or 
the  landmark  known  as  the  great  stone  head. 
Prospectors,  miners  and  hunters,  whom  they 
asked,  shook  their  heads. 

"I've  heard  of  Phantom  Mountain,"  said  one 
grizzled  miner,  "but  I  couldn't  say  where  it  is. 
Maybe  it's  only  a  fish  story — the  place  may  not 
even  exist." 

"Oh,  it  does,  for  I've  been  there!"  exclaimed 
Mr.  Jenks. 

"Then  why  don't  you  go  back  to  it?"  asked 
the  miner. 

"Because  I  can't  locate  it  again,"  was  the 
reply. 

106 


THE  GREAT  STONE  HEAD      107 

"Humph!  Mighty  queer  if  you've  seen  a 
place  once,  and  can't  get  to  it  again,"  and  the 
man  looked  as  if  he  thought  there  was  some- 
thing strange  about  Tom  and  his  companion. 
Mr.  Jenks  did  not  want  to  say  that  he  had  been 
taken  to  the  mountain  blindfolded,  for  that 
would  have  caused  too  much  talk. 

"I  think  if  we  spent  to-night  in  a  place  where 
the  miners  congregate,  listened  to  their  talk, 
and  put  a  few  casual  questions  to  them,  more  as 
if  we  were  only  asking  out  of  idle  curiosity,  we 
might  learn  something,"  suggested  Tom. 

"Very  well,  we'll  try  that  scheme." 

Accordingly,  after  they  had  left  the  suspicious 
miner  the  two  proceeded  to  a  small  mining 
town,  not  far  from  Indian  Ridge.  There  they 
engaged  rooms  for  the  night  at  the  only  hotel, 
and,  after  supper  they  sat  around  the  com- 
bined dance  hall  and  gambling  place. 

There  were  wild,  rough  scenes,  which  were 
distasteful  to  Tom,  and  to  Mr.  Jenks,  but  they 
felt  that  this  was  their  only  chance  to  get  on 
the  right  trail,  and  so  they  stayed.  As  strangers 
in  a  western  mining  settlement  they  were  made 
roughly  welcome,  and  in  response  to  their  in- 
quiries about  the  country,  they  were  told  many 
tales,  some  of  which  were  evidently  gotten  up 
for  the  benefit  of  the  "tenderfeet." 


108  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

"Is  there  a  place  around  here  called  Phantom 
Mountain?'*  asked  Tom,  at  length,  as  quietly  as 
he  could. 

"Never  heard  of  it,  stranger,"  replied  a  miner 
who  had  done  most  of  the  talking.  "I  never 
heard  of  it,  and  what  Bill  Slatterly  don't  know 
ain't  worth  knowin'.  I'm  Bill  Slatterly/'  he 
added,  lest  there  be  some  doubt  on  that  score. 

"Isn't  there  some  sort  of  a  landmark  around 
here  shaped  like  a  great  stone  head?"  went 
on  Tom,  after  some  unimportant  questions 
"Seems  to  me  I've  heard  of  that." 

"Nary  a  one,"  answered  Mr.  Slatterly.  "N^ 
stone  heads,  and  no  Phantom  Mountains — nary 


a  one." 


"Who  says  there  ain't  no  Phantom  Moun- 
tains?" demanded  an  elderly  miner,  who  had 
been  dozing  in  one  corner  of  the  room,  but  who 
was  awakened  by  Slatterly's  loud  voice.  "Who 
says  so?" 

"I  do,"  answered  the  one  who  claimed  to 
know  everything. 

"Then  you're  wrong!"  Tom's  heart  com- 
menced beating  faster  than  usual. 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  you've  seen  Phantom 
Mountain,  Jed  Nugg?"  demanded  Slatterly. 

"No,  I  ain't  exactly  seen  it,  an'  I  don't  want 
to,  but  there  is  such  a  place,  about  sixty  mile 


THE  GREAT  STONE  'HEAD  109 

from  here.  Folks  says  it's  Iiaunted,  and  them 
sort  of  places  I  steer  clear  from." 

"Can  you  tell  me  about  ft?"  asked  Mr.  Jenks, 
eagerly.  "I  am  interested  in  such  things." 

"I  can't  tell  you  much  about  it,"  was  the 
reply,  "and  I  wouldn't  git  too  interested,  if  I 
was  you.  It  might  not  be  healthy.  All  I  know 
is  that  one  time  my  partner  and  I  were  in  hard 
luck.  We  got  grub-staked,  and  went  out  pros- 
pectin'.  We  strayed  into  a  wild  part  of  the 
country  about  sixty  mile  from  here,  and  one 
night  we  camped  on  a  mountain — a  wild,  deso 
late  place  it  was  too." 

The  miner  stopped,  and  began  leisurely  filling 
his  pipe. 

"Well?"  asked  Tom,  trying  not  to  let  hi* 
voice  sound  too  eager. 

"Well,  that  was  Phantom  Mountain." 

The  miner  seemed  to  have  finished  his  story. 

"Is  that  all?"  asked  Mr.  Jenks.  "How  did 
you  know  it  was  Phantom  Mountain?" 

"  'Cause  we  seen  the  ghost — my  partner  and 
I — that's  why!"  exclaimed  the  man,  puffing  on 
his  pipe.  "As  I  said,  we  was  campin'  there,  and 
'long  about  midnight  we  seen  somethin'  tall 
and  white,  and  all  shimmerin',  with  a  sort  of 
yellow  fire,  slidin'  down  the  side  of  the  moun- 
tain. It  made  straight  for  our  camp." 


HO  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

"Huh!  Guess  you  run,  didn't  you,  Jed?" 
asked  Bill  Slatterly. 

"Course  we  did.  You'd  a  run  too,  if  you 
seen  a  ghost  comin*  at  you,  an*  firm'  a  gun." 

"Ghosts  can't  fire  guns!"  declared  Bill.  "I 
guess  you  dreamed  it,  Jed." 

"Ghosts  can't  fire  guns,  eh?  That's  all  you 
know  about  it.  This  one  did,  and  to  prove  I 
didn't  dream  it,  there  was  a  bullet  hole  in  my 
hat  next  mornin'.  I  could  prove  it,  too,  only 
I  ain't  got  that  hat  any  more.  But  that  was 
Phantom  Mountain,  strangers,  an'  my  advice  to 
you  is  to  keep  away  from  it.  I  was  on  it  but  I 
didn't  exactly  see  it,  'cause  it  was  dark  at  the 
time." 

"Was  it  near  a  peak  that  looked  like  a  stone 
head?"  asked  Tom. 

"It  were,  stranger,  but  I  didn't  take  much 
notice  of  it.  Me  and  my  partner  got  out  of 
them  diggin's  next  day,  and  I  never  went  back. 
I  ain't  never  said  much  about  this  place,  but 
it's  called  Phantom  Mountain  all  right,  and  I 
ain't  the  only  one  that's  seen  a  ghost  there. 
^Other  grub-stakers  has  had  the  same  experi- 


ence." 


"Why   ain't   I   never  heard   about   it?"   de- 
manded Bill,  suspiciously. 

"  'Cause  as  why  you're  allers  so  busy  talkin' 


THE  GREAT  STONE  HEAD 

that  you  don't  never  listen  to  nothin'  I  reckon," 
was  Jed's  answer,  amid  laughter. 

"Can  you  tell  us  what  trail  to  take  to  g<*,t 
there?"  asked  Tom,  of  the  miner. 

"Yes,  it's  called  the  old  silver  trail,  and  you 
strike  it  by  goin'  to  a  place  called  Black  Gulch, 
about  forty  mile  from  here.  Then  it's  twenty 
mile  farther  on.  But  take  my  advice  and  don't 
go." 

"Can  it  be  reached  by  way  of  Indian  Ridge?" 
asked  Mr.  Jenks,  wondering  how  he  had  been 
taken  to  the  cave  of  the  diamond  makers.  He 
did  not  remember  Black  Gulch. 

"Yes,  you  can  git  there  by  Indian  Ridge  way, 
but  it's  more  dangerous.  You're  likely  to  lose 
your  way,  for  that's  a  trail  that's  seldom 
traveled."  Mr.  Jenks  thought  that,  perhaps, 
was  the  reason  the  gang  had  taken  him  that 
way.  "It's  easier  to  get  to  the  stone  head  and 
Phantom  Mountain  by  Black  Gulch,  but  it 
ain't  healthy  to  go  there,  strangers,  take  my 
advice  on  that,"  concluded  the  miner,  as  he 
prepared  to  go  to  sleep  again. 

Tom  could  scarcely  contain  the  exultation  he 
felt.  At  last,  it  seemed,  they  were  on  the  trail. 
He  motioned  to  Mr.  Jenks,  and  they  slipped 
quietly  from  the  place,  just  as  another  dance 
was  beginning. 


112  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERSi 

"Now  for  Black  Gulch!"  cried  Tom.  "We 
must  hurry  back  to  the  airship,  and  tell  the 
good  news. 

"It's  too  late  to-night,"  decided  Mr.  Jenks, 
and  so  they  waited  until  morning,  when  they 
made  an  early  start. 

They  found  Mr.  Damon  and  Mr.  Parker 
anxiously  awaiting  their  return.  Mr.  Damon 
blessed  so  many  things  that  he  was  nearly  out 
of  breath,  and  Mr.  Parker  related  something 
of  the  observations  he  had  made. 

"I  think  I  have  discovered  traces  of  a  dormant 
volcano,"  he  said.  "I  am  in  hopes  that  it  will 
have  an  eruption  while  we  are  here." 

"I'm  not,"  spoke  Tom,  decidedly.  "We'll 
start  for  Black  Gulch  as  soon  as  possible." 

The  airship  once  more  rose  in  the  air,  and, 
following  the  directions  the  miner  had  given 
him,  Tom  pointed  his  craft  for  the  depression  in 
the  mountains  which  had  been  given  the  name 
Black  Gulch.  It  was  reached  in  a  short  time, 
«md  then,  making  a  turn  up  a  long  valley  the 
airship  proceeded  at  reduced  speed. 

"We  ought  to  see  that  stone  head  soon  now," 
spoke  Tom,  as  he  peered  from  the  windows  of 
the  pilot  house. 

"It's  queer  we  didn't  notice  it  when  we  were 


THE  GREAT  STONE  HEAD      113 

tjp  in  the  air,"  remarked  Mr.  Jenks.  "We've  been 
over  this  place  before,  I'm  sure  of  it." 

The  next  moment  Mr.  Damon  uttered  a  cry. 

"Bless  my  watch-chain !"  he  exclaimed.  "Look 
at  that!" 

He  pointed  off  to  the  left.  There,  jutting  out 
from  the  side  of  a  steep  mountain  peak  was  a 
mass  of  stone — black  stone — which,  as  the  air- 
ship slowly  approached,  took  the  form  and 
shape  of  a  giant's  head. 

"That's  it!  That's  it!"  cried  Tom.  "The 
great  stone  head!" 

"And  now  for  Phantom  Mountain  and  the 
diamonds!"  shouted  Mr.  Jenks,  as  Tom  let  the 
airship  slowly  settle  to  the  bottom  of  the  valley. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

ON   PHANTOM    MOUNTAIN 

OUT  from  the  Red  Cloud  piled  Tom  and  the 
others.  They  made  a  rush  for  the  irregular 
mass  of  rock  which  bore  so  strong  a  resem- 
blance to  the  head  of  some  gigantic  man. 

"That's  the  one!  That's  the  thing  I  saw 
when  they  were  taking  me  along  here  blind- 
folded!" exclaimed  Mr.  Jenks.  "I'm  sure  we're 
on  the  right  trail,  now!" 

"But  what  gets  me,  though,"  remarked  Mr. 
Damon,  "is  why  we  couldn't  see  that  land- 
mark when  we  were  up  in  the  air.  We  had  a 
fine  view,  and  ought  to  have  been  able  to  pick 
it  out  with  the  telescopes." 

The  adventurers  saw  the  reason  a  few  seconds 
later.  The  image  was  visible  only  from  one 
place,  and  that  was  directly  looking  up  the 
valley.  If  one  went  too  far  to  the  right  or  left 
the  head  disappeared  from  view  behind  jutting 
crags,  and  it  was  impossible  to  see  it  from  over- 

"4 


ON  PHANTOM  MOUNTAIN  115 

head,  because  the  head  was  almost  under  a  great 
spur  of  a  mighty  mountain. 

"We  might  have  hunted  for  it  a  week  in  the 
airship,  and  been  directly  over  it,"  said  Tom, 
"and  yet  we  would  never  have  seen  it." 

"Yes,  but  we  never  would  have  gotten  here  in 
such  good  shape  if  it  hadn't  been  for  your 
wonderful  craft/'  declared  Mr.  Jenks.  "It 
brought  us  here  safely  and  quickly,  and  enabled 
us  to  elude  the  men  who  tried  to  keep  us  back. 
We're  here  in  spite  of  them.  If  we  had  traveled 
by  train  they  might  have  interfered  with  us  in 
a  dozen  ways." 

"That's  so,"  agreed  Mr.  Damon.  "Well,  now 
we're  here,  what's  to  be  done?  Which  way  do 
we  start  to  reach  the  cave  where  the  diamonds 
are  manufactured,  Mr.  Jenks?" 

"That  I  can't  say.  As  you  know,  I  only  had 
a  momentary  glimpse  of  this  stone  head  as  they 
were  taking  me  along  the  trail.  Then  one  of 
the  men  noticed  that  the  bandage  had  slipped 
and  he  pulled  it  into  place.  So  I  really  can't 
say  which  direction  to  take  now,  in  order  to 
discover  the  secret." 

"How  long  after  you  saw  the  head  before 
you  reached  the  cave?"  asked  Tom.  "In  that 
way  we  may  be  able  to  tell  how  far  away  it  is." 

"Well,  I  should  say  it  was  about  two  or  three 


Il6  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

hours  after  I  saw  the  head,  before  we  got  to 
the  halting  place,  and  I  was  carried  into  the 
cave.  That  would  make  it  several  miles  from 
here,  for  we  went  in  a  wagon." 

"Yes,  and  they  might  have  driven  in  a  round- 
about way,  in  order  to  deceive  you,"  suggested 
Mr.  Damon.  "At  best  we  have  but  a  faint  idea 
where  the  diamond  cave  is,  but  we  must  search 
for  it;  eh,  Tom?" 

"Certainly.  We'll  start  right  in.  And  as  the 
airship  will  be  of  but  little  service  to  us  now, 
I  suggest  that  we  leave  it  in  this  valley.  It  is 
very  much  secluded,  and  no  one  will  harm  it,  I 
think.  We  can  then  start  off  prospecting,  for 
I  have  a  large  portable  tent,  and  we  can  carry 
enough  food  with  us,  with  what  game  we  can 
shoot,  to  enable  us  to  live.  I  have  a  regular 
camping  outfit  on  board." 

"Fine!"  cried  Mr.  Parker,  "and  that  will  give 
me  a  chance  to  make  some  observations  among 
the  mountains,  and  perhaps  I  can  predict  when 
a  landslide,  or  an  eruption  of  some  dormant  vol- 
cano, may  occur." 

"Bless  my  stars!"  cried  Mr.  Damon.  "I  don't 
wish  you  any  bad  luck,  Mr.  Parker,  but  I  sin- 
cerely hope  nothing  of  the  sort  happens!  We 
had  enough  of  that  on  Earthquake  Island  I" 

"One  can  not  halt  the  forces  of  nature,"  said 


ON  PHANTOM  MOUNTAIN  n; 

the  scientist,  solemnly.  "There  are  many  tower- 
ing peaks  around  here  which  may  contain  old 
volcanoes.  And  I  notice  the  presence  of  iron 
ore  all  about.  This  must  be  a  wonderful  place 
in  a  thunder  and  lightning  storm." 

"Why?"  asked  Tom,  curiously. 

"Because  lightning  would  be  powerfully  at- 
tracted here  by  the  presence  of  the  metal.  In 
fact  there  is  evidence  that  many  of  the  peaks 
have  been  struck  by  lightning,"  and  the  scientist 
showed  curious,  livid  scars  on  the  stone  faces 
of  the  peaks  within  sight. 

"Then  this  is  a  good  place  to  stay  away  from 
in  a  storm,"  observed  Mr.  Damon.  "However, 
we  won't  worry  about  that  now.  If  this  is  the 
landmark  Mr.  Jenks  was  searching  for,  then 
we  must  be  in  the  vicinity  of  Phantom 
Mountain." 

"I  think  we  are,"  declared  the  diamond 
seeker.  "Probably  it  is  within  sight  now,  but 
there  are  so  many  peaks,  and  this  is  such  a 
Wild  and  desolate  part  of  the  country  that 
we  may  have  trouble  in  locating  it." 

"We've  got  to  make  a  beginning,  anyhow," 
decided  Tom,  "and  the  sooner  the  better. 
Come,  we'll  make  up  our  camping  kits,  and 
*tart  out." 

It  was  AOmething"  to  know  that  they  were 


Il8  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

on  the  right  trail,  and  it  was  a  relief  to  be  able 
to  busy  oneself,  and  not  be  aimlessly  search- 
ing for  a  mysterious  landmark.  They  all  felt 
this,  and  soon  the  airship  was  taken  to  a  se- 
cluded part  of  the  valley,  where  it  was  well 
hidden  from  sight  in  a  grove  of  trees. 

Tom  and  Mr.  Damon  then  served  a  good 
meal,  and  preparations  were  made  to  start  on 
their  search  among  the  mountains — a  search 
which  they  hoped  would  lead  them  to  Phantom 
Mountain,  and  the  cave  of  the  diamond  makers. 

The  tent  which  would  afford  them  shekel 
was  in  sections,  and  could  be  laced  together. 
They  carried  food,  compressed  into  small  pack- 
ages, coffee,  a  few  cooking  utensils;  and  each 
one  had  a  gun,  Tom  carrying  a  combination 
rifle  and  shotgun,  for  game. 

"We  can't  live  very  high  while  we're  on  the 
trail,"  said  the  young  inventor,  "but  it  won't 
be  much  worse  than  it  was  on  Earthquake 
Island.  Are  we  all  ready?" 

"I  guess  so,"  answered  Mr.  Damon.  "How 
long  are  we  going  to  be  away?" 

"Until  we  find  the  diamond  makers!"  declared 
Tom,  firmly. 

Shouldering  their  packs,  the  adventurers 
started  off.  Tom  turned  for  a  last  look  at  hi? 
airship,  dimly  seen  amid  the  trees.  Would  he 


ON  PHANTOM  MOUNTAIN  119 

ever  come  back  to  the  Red  Cloud?  Would  she 
be  there  when  he  did  return?  Would  their 
quest  be  successful?  These  questions  the  lad 
asked  himself,  as  he  followed  his  companions 
along  the  rocky  trail. 

"Perhaps  we  can  find  the  road  by  which  these 
men  go  in  and  out  of  the  cave,"  suggested  Mr. 
Damon,  when  they  had  gone  on  for  several 
miles. 

"I  fancy  not/'  replied  Mr.  Jenks.  "They  prob- 
ably take  great  pains  to  hide  it.  I  think 
though,  that  our  best  plan  will  be  to  go  here 
and  there,  looking  for  the  entrance  to  the  cave. 
I  believe  I  would  remember  the  place." 

"But  why  can't  you  follow  the  directions 
given  by  the  miner  who  told  you  about  Phan- 
tom Mountain?"  asked  Mr.  Damon. 

"Because  his  talk  was  too  indefinite,"  an- 
swered Mr.  Jenks.  "He  was  so  frightened  by 
seeing  what  he  believed  to  be  a  ghost,  that  he 
didn't  take  much  notice  of  the  location  of  the 
place.  All  he  knows  is  that  Phantom  Moun-* 
tain  is  somewhere  around  here." 

"And  we've  got  to  hunt  until  we  find  it;  is 
that  the  idea?"  asked  Mr.  Parker. 

"Or  until  we  see  the  phantom  "  added  Tom, 
in  a  low  voice. 

"Bless  my  topknot!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Damon. 


120  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

"You  don't  mean  to  say  you  expect  to  see  that 
ghost;  do  you  Tom?" 

"Perhaps/'  answered  the  young  inventor,  and 
he  did  not  add  something  else  of  which  he  was 
thinking.  For  Tom  had  a  curious  theory 
regarding  the  phantom. 

They  tramped  about  the  remainder  of  that 
day.  Toward  evening  Tom  shot  some  birds, 
which  made  a  welcome  addition  to  their  supper. 
Then  the  tent  was  put  together,  some  spruce 
and  hemlock  boughs  were  cut  to  make  a  soft 
bed,  and  on  these,  while  the  light  of  a  camp* 
fire  gleamed  in  on  them,  the  adventurers  slept. 

Their  experience  the  following  day  was  simi- 
lar to  the  first.  They  saw  no  evidence  oi 
a  large  cave  such  as  Mr.  Jenks  had  described, 
nor  were  there  any  traces  of  men  having  gone 
back  and  forth  among  the  mountains,  as  might 
have  been  expected  of  the  diamond  makers,  for, 
as  Mr.  Jenks  had  said,  they  made  frequent 
journeys  to  the  settlement  for  food,  and  other 
supplies. 

"Well,  I  haven't  begun  to  give  up  yet,"  an- 
nounced Tom,  on  the  third  day,  when  their 
quest  was  still  unsuccessful.  "But  I  think  we 
are  making  one  mistake." 

"What  is  that?"  inquired  Mr.  Jenks. 

"I  think  we  should  go  up  higher.     In  my 


ON  PHANTOM  MOUNTAIN  121 

opinion  the  cave  is  near  the  top  of  some  peak; 
isn't  it,  Mr.  Jenks?" 

"I  have  that  impression,  though,  as  you  know, 
I  never  saw  the  outside  of  it.  Still,  it  might 
not  be  a  bad  idea  to  ascend  some  of  these 
peaks." 

Following  this  suggestion,  they  laid  their  trail 
more  toward  the  sky,  and  that  night  found 
them  encamped  several  thousand  feet  above  the 
sea-level.  It  was  quite  cool,  and  the  campfire 
was  a  big  one  about  which  they  sat  after  supper, 
talking  of  many  things. 

Tom  did  not  sleep  well  that  night.  He  tossed 
from  side  to  side  on  the  bed  of  boughs,  and 
once  or  twice  got  up  to  replenish  the  fire,  which 
had  burned  low.  His  companions  were  in  deep 
slumber. 

"I  wonder  what  time  it  is?"  mused  Tom, 
when  he  had  been  up  the  third  time  to  throw 
wood  on  the  blaze.  "Must  be  near  morning." 
He  looked  at  his  watch,  and  was  somewhat 
startled  to  see  that  it  was  only  a  little  after  twelve. 
Somehow  it  seemed  much  later. 

As  he  was  putting  the  timepiece  back  into  his 
pocket  the  lad  looked  around  at  the  dark  and 
gloomy  mountains,  amid  which  they  were  en- 
camped. As  his  gaze  wandered  toward  the 


122  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

peak  of  the  one  on  the  side  of  which  the  tent 
was  pitched,  he  gave  a  start  of  surprise. 

For,  coming  down  a  place  where,  that  after- 
noon, Tom  had  noticed  a  sort  of  indefinite  traiL 
was  a  figure  in  white.  A  tall,  waving  figure^ 
which  swayed  this  way  and  that — a  figure  which 
halted  and  then  carae  on  again. 

"I  wonder — I  wonder  if  that  can  be  a  wisp 
of  fog?"  mused  the  young  inventor.  He  rubbed 
his  eyes,  thinking  it  might  be  a  swirling  of  the 
night  mist  or  a  defect  of  vision.  Then,  as  he 
saw  more  plainly,  he  noticed  the  thing  in  white 
rushing  toward  him. 

"It's  the  phantom — the  phantom!"  cried 
Tom,  aloud.  "It's  the  thing  the  miner  saw! 
We're  on  Phantom  Mountain  now!" 


CHAPTER  XIV 

WARNED  BACK 

TOM'S  cries  awakened  the  sleepers  in  the  tent 
Mr.  Damon  was  the  first  to  rush  out. 

"Bless  my  nightcap,  Tom!"  he  cried.  "What 
is  it?  What  has  happened?  Are  we  attacked 
by  a  mountain  lion?" 

For  answer  the  young  inventor  pointed  up 
the  mountain,  to  where,  in  the  dim  light  from 
a  crescent  moon,  there  stood  boldly  revealed, 
the  figure  in  white. 

"Bless — bless  my  very  existence!"  cried  the 
odd  man.  "What  is  it,  Tom?" 

"The  phantom,"  was  the  quiet  answer. 
"Watch  it,  and  see  what  it  does." 

By  this  time  Mr.  Jenks  and  Mr.  Parker  had 
joined  Tom  and  Mr.  Damon.  The  four  dia- 
mond seekers  stood  gazing  at  the  apparition. 
And,  as  they  looked,  the  thing  in  white,  seem- 
ingly too  tall  for  any  human  being,  slid  slowly 
forward,  with  a  gliding  motion.  Then  it  raised 

123 


TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

its  long,  white  arms,  and  waved  them  threaten- 
ingly at  the  adventurers. 

"It's  motioning  us  to  go  back,"  said  Mr, 
Parker  in  an  awed  whisper.  "It  doesn't  want 
us  to  go  any  fart  her. '' 

"Very  likely,"  agreed  Tom,  coolly.  "But 
we're  not  going  to  be  frightened  by  anything 
like  that;  are  we?" 

"Not  much!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Jenks.  "I  ex* 
pected  this.  A  ghost  can't  drive  me  back  from 
getting  my  rights  from  those  scoundrels!" 

"Suppose  it  uses  a  revolver  to  back  up  its 
demand?"  asked  the  scientist. 

"Wait  until  it  does,"  answered  Mr.  Jenks. 
But  the  figure  in  white  evidently  had  no  such 
intentions.  It  came  on  a  little  distance  farther, 
still  waving  the  long  arms  threateningly,  and 
then  it  suddenly  disappeared,  seeming  to  dis- 
solve in  the  misty  shadows  of  the  night. 

"Bless  my  suspenders!"  cried  Mr.  Damon. 
"That's  a  very  strange  proceeding!  Very 
strange!  What  do  you  make  of  it,  Tom?" 

"It  is  evidently  some  man  dressed  up  in  a 
sheet,"  declared  Mr.  Jenks.  "I  expected  as 
much." 

"The  work  of  those  diamond  makers;  do  you 
think?"  continued  Mr.  Damon. 

"I  believe  so,"  answered  Tom,  slowly,  for  he 


WARNED  BACK  12$ 

«iras  trying  to  thkik  it  out.  "I  believ  they  are 
the  cause  of  the  phantom,  though  I  don't  know 
that  it's  a  man  dressed  in  a  sheet." 

"Why  isn't  it?"  demanded  Mr.  Jenks. 

"Because  it  was  too  tall  for  a  man,  unless 
he's  a  giant." 

"He  may  have  been  on  stilts,"  suggested  Mr. 
Parker. 

"No  man  on  stilts  could  walk  along  that 
way,"  declared  Tom,  confidently.  "He  glided 
along  too  easily.  I  am  inclined  to  think  it  may 
be  some  sort  of  a  light." 

"A  light?"  queried  Mr.  Damon. 

"Yes,  the  diamond  makers  may  be  hidden  in 
some  small  cave  near  here,  and  they  may  have 
some  sort  of  a  magic  lantern  or  a  similar  ar- 
rangement, for  throwing  a  shadow  picture. 
They  could  arrange  it  to  move  as  they  liked, 
and  could  cause  it  to  disappear  at  will.  That,  I 
think,  is  the  ghost  we  have  just  seen." 

"But   the  diamond  makers  have  only  been 

in  this  mountain  recently,"  objected  Mr.  Jenks, 

^  and   the  phantom  was  here  before  them.     In 

fact,  that  was  what  gave  the  place  its  name.'' 

"That  may  be,"  admitted  the  lad.  "There 
are  many  places  that  have  the  name  of  being 
haunted,  but  no  one  ever  sees  the  ghost.  It 
>s  always  some  one  else,  who  has  heard  of  some 


126  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS, 

one  who  has  seen  it.  That  may  have  been  the 
case  here.  I  grant  that  this  place  may  have 
been  called  'Phantom  Mountain*  for  a  number 
of  years,  due  to  the  superstitious  tales  of  miners. 
The  diamond  makers  came  along,  found  the 
conditions  just  right  for  their  work,  and  adopted 
the  ghost,  so  to  speak.  As  there  wasn't  any 
real  spirit  they  made  one,  and  they  use  it  to 
scare  people  away.  I  think  that's  what  we've 
just  seen,  though  I  may  be  wrong  in  my  theory 
as  to  what  the  phantom  is." 

"Well,  it's  gone  now,  at  any  rate,"  said  Mr. 
Jenks,  "and  I  think  we'd  better  get  back  in- 
side the  tent.  It's  cold  out  here." 

"Aren't  some  of  us  going  to  stand  guard?" 
demanded  Mr.  Damon. 

"What  for?"  asked  Mr.  Jenks. 

"Why — er — bless  my  key-ring!  Suppose  that 
ghost  takes  a  notion  to  come  down  here,  and 
use  his  gun,  as  he  did  on  the  miners?" 

"I  don't  believe  that  will  happen,"  remarked 
Tom.  "The  diamond  makers,  if  the  white  thing 
had  anything  to  do  with  them,  have  given  us 
a  warning,  and  I  think  they'll  at  least  wait  until 
morning  to  see  how  we  heed  it." 

"We  aren't  going  to  heed  it!"  burst  out  Mr. 
Jenks.  "I'm  going  to  go  right  ahead  and  find 
that  cave  where  they  make  diamonds  I" 


WARNED  BACK  1*7 

"And  we're  with  you!"  exclaimed  Tom. 
"We'll  have  a  good  fire  going  the  rest  of  the 
night,  and  that  may  keep  intruders  away.  In 
the  morning  we'll  begin  our  search,  and  we'll 
go  up  the  trail  where  we  saw  the  white  figure." 

A  big  pile  of  wood  had  been  collected  for 
the  fire,  and  Tom  now  piled  some  logs  and 
branches  on  the  blaze.  It  would  last  for  some 
time  now,  and  the  adventurers,  still  talking  of 
the  "ghost/'  went  back  into  the  tent.  It  was 
over  an  hour  before  they  all  got  to  sleep  again, 
and  Mr.  Jenks  and  Mr.  Damon  took  turns  in 
getting  up  once  or  twice  during  the  remainder 
of  the  night  to  replenish  the  fire. 

Morning  dawned  without  anything  further 
having  occurred  to  disturb  them,  and,  after  a 
hearty  breakfast,  to  which  Tom  added  some 
fish  he  caught  in  a  nearby  mountain  stream, 
they  set  off  up  the  trail  on  Phantom  Mountain. 

They  had  left  their  tent  standing,  as  they  pro- 
posed making  that  spot  their  headquarters  until 
they  located  the  cave  they  were  seeking.  What 
their  course  would  be  after  that  would  depend 
on  the  circumstances. 

If  they  had  expected  to  have  an  easy  task 
locating  the  cavern  in  which  Mr.  Jenks  had 
seen  diamonds  made,  the  adventurers  were  di* 
appointed.  All  that  day  they  tramped  up  and 


128  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS. 

down  the  mountain,  looking  for  some  secret 

entrance,  but  none  was  disclosed.     The  higher 

they  went  up  the  great  peak,  the  fainter  became 

he  trail,  until,  at  length  it  vanished  completely. 

But  this  was  not  to  be  wondered  at,  since  it 
was  on  solid  rock,  in  which  no  footsteps  would 
leave  an  impression. 

"They  never  brought  you  up  here  in  a  wagon, 
Mr.  Jenks,"  decided  Tom,  when  he  saw  how 
steep  the  place  was. 

"I'm  inclined  to  think  so  myself/*  admitted 
the  diamond  man.  "They  must  have  reached 
the  cave  from  some  other  way.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  I  walked  some  distance  after  getting 
out  of  the  vehicle,  before  we  got  to  the  cavern. 
But,  even  at  that,  I  don't  believe  we  came  this 
way." 

"Yet  the  phantom  was  here,"  persisted  Tom, 
"and  I'm  convinced  that  the  cave  is  in  this 
neighborhood.  It's  up  to  us  to  find  it!" 

But  they  searched  the  remainder  of  that  day 
in  vain,  and  as  night  was  coming  on,  they  made 
their  way  back  to  the  camp.  As  Tom,  who  was 
in  the  lead,  approached  the  tent,  he  saw  some- 
thing black  fastened  to  the  entrance. 

"Hello!"  he  cried.  "Some  one's  been  here. 
That  wasn't  on  the  tent  when  he  left  this  morn- 
ing." 


WARNED  BACK 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Mr.  Damon. 

"A  black  piece  of  paper,  written  on  with! 
white  ink,"  replied  the  lad.  He  was  reading  it, 
and,  as  he  perused  it  a  look  of  surprise  came 
over  his  face. 

"Listen  to  this!"  called  Tom.  "It's  evidently 
from  the  diamond  makers." 

Holding  up  the  black  paper,  on  which  the 
white  writing  stood  out  in  bold  relief  Tom  read 
aloud: 

"Be  warned  in  time!  Go  back  before  it  is  too 
late!  You  are  near  to  death!  Go  back!" 

"Bless    my    shoelaces!"    cried    Mr.    Damoa 
is  getting  serious." 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  LANDSLIDE 

GATHERED  about  the  young  inventot,  rlic 
three  men  looked  at  the  warning.  The  wr,cing 
was  poor,  and  it  was  evident  that  an  attempt 
had  been  made  to  disguise  it.  But  there  was 
no  misspelling  of  words,  and  there  were  no 
rudely  drawn  daggers,  or  bloody  hands  or  any- 
thing of  that  sort.  In  fact,  it  was  a  very 
business-like  sort  of  warning. 

"Rather  odd,"  commented  Mr.  Jenks.  "Black 
paper  and  white  ink." 

"White  ink  is  easy  enough  to  make,"  stated 
Mr.  Parker.  "I  fancy  they  wanted  it  as  con- 
spicuous as  possible." 

"Yes,"  agreed  Tom,  "and  this  warning,  to- 
gether with  the  antics  of  the  thing  in  white  last 
aight,  shows  that  they  are  aware  of  our  pres- 
ence here,  and  perhaps  know  who  we  are.  We 
will  have  to  be  on  our  guard." 

"Do  you  think  that  fellow  Munson,  whom 
130 


THE  LANDSLIDE  131 

we  left  in  the  forest,  could  have  gotten  here  and 
warned  them?"  asked  Mr.  Damon. 

"It's  possible,"  admitted  Tom,  "but  now  let's 
see  if  the  person  who  pinned  this  warning  on 
our  tent  took  any  of  our  things." 

A  hasty  examination,  however,  showed  that 
nothing  had  been  disturbed,  and  Tom  and  Mr. 
Damon  were  soon  getting  supper  ready,  every- 
one talking,  during  the  progress  of  the  meal, 
about  the  events  of  the  day,  and  the  rather 
weird  culmination  of  it. 

"Well,  we  haven't  had  a  great  deal  of  suc- 
cess— so  far,"  admitted  Tom,  as  they  sat  about 
the  fire,  in  the  fast  gathering  dusk.  "I  think, 
perhaps,  we'd  better  try  on  the  other  side  of 
the  mountain  to-morrow.  We've  explored  this 
side  pretty  thoroughly." 

"Good  idea,"  commented  Mr.  Jenks.  "We'll 
do  it,  and  move  our  camp.  I  only  hope  those 
fellows  don't  find  our  airship  and  destroy  it. 
We'll  have  a  hard  time  getting  back  to  civiliza- 
tion again,  if  we  have  to  walk  all  the  way." 

This  contingency  caused  Tom  some  unease 
ness.  He  did  not  like  to  think  that  the  un- 
scrupulous men  might  damage  the  Red  Cloud, 
that  had  been  built  only  after  hard  labor.  But 
he  knew  he  could  accomplish  nothing  by  worry- 


132  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

ing,  and  he  tried  to  dismiss  the  matter  from  his 
mind. 

They  rather  expected  to  see  the  thing  in 
white  again  that  night,  but  it  did  not  appear, 
and  morning  came  without  anything  having 
disturbed  their  heavy  sleep,  for  they  were  tired 
from  the  day's  tramp. 

It  took  them  the  greater  part  of  the  day  to 
make  a  circuit  of  the  base  of  Phantom  Moun- 
tain in  order  to  get  to  a  place  where  a  sort  of 
trail  led  upward. 

"It's  too  late  to  do  anything  to-night,"  de- 
cided Tom,  as  they  set  up  the  tent.  "We'll 
rest,  and  start  the  first  thing  in  the  morning." 

"And  the  ghost  isn't  likely  to  find  us  here," 
added  Mr.  Damon.  "Where  are  you  going, 
Mr.  Parker?"  he  asked,  as  he  saw  the  scientist 
tramping  a  little  way  up  the  side  of  the 
mountain. 

"I  am  going  to  make  some  observations," 
was  the  answer,  and  no  one  paid  any  more  atten- 
tion to  him  for  some  time.  Supper  was  nearly 
ready  when  Mr.  Parker  returned.  His  face 
wore  a  rather  serious  air,  and  Mr.  Damon, 
noting  it,  asked  laughingly: 

"Well,  did  you  discover  any  volcanoes,  that 
may  erupt  during  the  night,  and  scare  us  to 


THE  LANDSLIDE  133 

"No,"  replied  Mr.  Parker,  calmly,  "but  there 
is  every  indication  that  we  will  soon  have  a 
terrific  electrical  storm.  From  a  high  peak  I 
caught  a  glimpse  of  one  working  this  way  across 
the  mountains." 

"Then  we'd  better  fasten  the  tent  well  down," 
called  Tom.  "We  don't  want  it  to  blow  away." 

"There  will  not  be  much  danger  from  wind," 
was  Mr.  Parker's  opinion. 

"From  what  then?"  asked  Mr.  Jenks. 

"From  the  discharges  of  lightning  among 
these  mountain  peaks,  which  contain  so  much 
iron  ore.  We  will  be  in  grave  danger." 

The  fact  that  the  scientist  had  not  always 
made  correct  predictions  was  not  now  con- 
sidered by  his  hearers,  and  Tom  and  the  two 
men  gazed  at  Mr.  Parker  in  some  alarm. 

"Is  there  anything  we  can  do  to  avoid  it?" 
asked  Mr.  Jenks. 

"The  only  thing  to  do  would  be  to  leave  the 
mountain,"  was  the  answer,  "and,  as  the  iron 
ore  extends  for  miles,  we  cannot  get  out  of  the 
danger  zone  before  the  storm  will  reach  us.  It 
will  be  here  in  less  than  half  an  hour. 

"Then  we'd  better  have  supper,"  remarked 
Tom,  practically,  "and  get  ready  for  it.  Per- 
haps it  may  not  be  as  bad  as  Mr.  Parker  fears." 

"It  will  be  bad  enough,"  declared  the  glootnj 


134  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS^ 

scientist,  and  he  seemed  to  find  pleasure  in  his 
announcement. 

The  meal  was  soon  over,  and  Tom  busied 
himself  in  looking  to  the  guy  ropes  of  the  tent, 
for  he  feared  lest  there  might  be  wind  with  the 
storm.  That  it  was  coming  was  evident,  for 
now  low  mutterings  of  thunder  could  be  heard 
off  toward  the  west. 

Black  clouds  rapidly  obscured  the  heavens, 
and  the  sound  of  thunder  increased.  Fitful 
flashes  of  lightning  could  be  seen  forking  across 
the  sky  in  jagged  chains  of  purple  light. 

"It's  going  to  be  a  heavy  storm,"  Tom  ad- 
mitted to  himself.  "I  hope  lightning  doesn't 
strike  around  here." 

The  storm  came  on  rapidly,  but  there  was  a 
curious  quietness  in  the  air  that  was  more  alarm- 
ing than  if  a  wind  had  blown.  The  campfire 
burned  steadily,  and  there  was  a  certain  oppres- 
siveness in  the  atmosphere. 

It  was  now  quite  dark,  save  when  the  fitful 
lightning  flashes  came,  and  they  illuminated  the 
scene  brilliantly  for  a  few  seconds.  Then,  b} 
contrast,  it  was  blacker  than  ever. 

Suddenly,  as  Tom  was  gazing  up  toward  the 
peak  of  Phantom  Mountain,  he  saw  something 
that  caused  him  to  cry  out  in  alarm.  He  pointed 
upward,  and  whispered  hoarsely: 


THE  LANDSLIDE  13$ 

"The  ghost  again!  There's  our  friend  in 
white!" 

The  others  looked,  and  saw  the  same  weird 
figure  that  had  menaced  them  when  they  were 
encamped  on  the  other  side  of  the  peak. 

'They  must  have  followed  us,"  said  Mr. 
Jenks,  in  a  low  voice. 

Slowly  the  figure  advanced.  It  waved  the 
long  white  arms,  as  if  in  warning.  At  times 
U  would  be  only  dimly  visible  in  the  blackness, 
then,  suddenly  it  would  stand  out  in  bold  relief 
as  a  great  flash  of  fire  split  the  clouds. 

The  thunder,  meanwhile,  had  been  growing 
louder  and  sharper,  indicating  the  nearer  ap- 
proach of  the  storm.  Each  lightning  flash  was 
followed  in  a  second  or  two,  by  a  terrific  clap. 
Still  there  was  no  wind  nor  rain,  and  the  camp- 
fire  burned  steadily. 

All  at  once  there  was  a  crash  as  if  the  very 
mountain  had  split  asunder,  and  the  adventurers 
saw  a  great  ball  of  purple-bluish  fire  shoot  down, 
as  if  from  some  cloud,  and  strike  against  the 
side  of  the  crag,  not  a  hundred  feet  from  where 
stood  the  ghostly  figure  in  white. 

"That  was  a  bad  one,"  cried  Mr.  Damon, 
shouting  so  as  to  be  heard  above  the  echoes  of 
the  thunderclap. 

Almost  as  he  spoke  there  came  another 


136  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKER® 

plosion,  even  louder  than  the  one  preceding. 
A  great  ball  of  fire,  pear  shaped,  leaped  for  the 
same  spot  in  the  mountain. 

"There's  a  mass  of  iron  ore  there !"  yelled  Mr. 
Parker.  "The  lightning  is  attracted  to  it!" 

His  voice  was  swallowed  up  in  the  terrific 
crash  that  followed,  and,  as  there  came  another 
flash  of  the  celestial  fire,  the  figure  in  white 
could  be  seen  hurrying  back  up  the  mountain 
trail.  Evidently  the  electrical  storm,  with 
lightning  bolts  discharging  so  close,  was  too 
much  for  the  "ghost." 

In  another  instant  it  looked  as  if  the  whole 
place  about  where  the  diamond  seekers  stood, 
was  a  mass  of  fire.  Great  forked  tongues  of 
lightning  leaped  from  the  clouds,  and  seemed 
to  lick  the  ground.  There  was  a  rattle  and 
bang  of  thunder,  like  the  firing  of  a  battery  of 
guns.  Tom  and  the  others  felt  themselves 
tingling  all  over,  as  if  they  had  hold  of  an 
electrical  battery,  and  there  was  a  strong  smell 
of  sulphur  in  the  air. 

"We  are  in  the  midst  of  the  storm!"  cried 
Mr.  Parker.  "We  are  standing  on  a  mass  oi 
iron  ore!  Any  minute  may  be  our  last!" 

But  fate  had  not  intended  the  adventurers  for 
death  by  lightning.  Almost  as  suddenly  as  it 
had  begun,  the  discharge  of  the  tongues  of  fire 


THE  LANDSLIDE 

ceased  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  our  friends. 
They  stood  still — awed — not  knowing  what  to 
do. 

Then,  once  more,  came  a  terrific  clap!  A 
great  mass  of  fire,  like  some  red-hot  ingot  from 
a  foundry,  was  hurled  through  the  air,  straight 
at  the  face  of  the  mountain,  and  at  the  spot 
where  the  figure  in  white  had  stood  but  a  few 
minutes  before. 

Instantly  the  earth  trembled,  as  it  had  at 
Earthquake  Island,  but  it  was  not  the  same.  It 
was  over  in  a  few  seconds.  Then,  as  the  dia- 
mond seekers  looked,  they  saw  in  the  glare  of 
a  score  of  lightning  flashes  that  followed  the 
one  great  clap,  the  whole  side  of  the  mountain 
slip  away,  and  go  crashing  into  the  valley  below. 

"A  landslide!"  cried  Mr.  Parker.  "That  is 
the  landslide  which  I  predicted!  The  light- 
dng  bolt  has  split  Phantom  Mountain!" 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE   VAST   CAVERN 

FOR  a  time  the  rolling,  slipping,  sliding  and 
tumbling  of  the  mass  of  earth  and  stones,  down 
the  side  of  the  mountain,  effectually  drowned  all 
other  sounds.  Even  the  thunder  was  stilled, 
and  though  Tom  and  his  companions  called  to 
one  another  in  terror,  their  voices  could  not 
rise  above  that  terrific  tumult. 

Finally,  when  they  found  that  the  direction 
of  the  slide  was  away  from  their  tent,  and  that 
they  were  not  likely  to  be  engulfed,  they  grew 
more  calm. 

Gradually  the  noise  subsided.  The  great 
boulders  had  rolled  to  the  bottom  of  the  valley, 
and  now  only  a  mass  of  earth  and  stones  was 
sliding  down.  Even  this  stopped  in  about  five 
minutes,  and,  as  though  satisfied  with  what  it 
had  done,  the  electrical  storm  passed.  Not  a 
drop  of  rain  had  fallen. 

"Bless  my  shirt  studs!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Da- 
tnon,  who  was  the  first  to  speak  after  the  din 
138 


THE  VAST  CAVERN  139 

had  quieted  "Bless  my  soul!  But  that  was 
awful !" 

"It  was  just  what  I  expected,"  said  Mr.  Par- 
leer,  calmly.  "I  knew,  from  my  observations, 
that  we  were  in  a  region  where  landslides  and 
terrific  electrical  storms  may  be  expected  at  any 
time.  I  fully  looked  for  this." 

"Well,"  remarked  Mr.  Jenks,  rather  sarcasti- 
cally, "I  hope  it  came  up  to  your  expectations, 
Mr.  Parker." 

"Oh,  fully,"  was  the  answer,  "though  I  wish 
it  could  have  happened  in  daylight,  so  that  I 
could  better  have  observed  certain  phenomena 
regarding  the  landslide.  They  are  very  in- 
teresting." 

"At  a  distance,"  admitted  Tom,  with  a  laugh 
of  relief.  "Well,  I'm  glad  it's  over,  though 
we'll  have  to  wait  until  morning  to  see  what 
damage  has  been  done.  Lucky  we  weren't 
struck  by  lightning.  I  never  saw  such  bolts!" 

"Me,  either!"  declared  Mr.  Damon.  "This 
mountain  seems  to  attract  them." 

"It  is  like  a  magnet,"  said  Mr.  Parker.  "I 
think  I  shall  be  able  to  make  some  fine  observa- 
tions here." 

"If  we  live  through  it,"  murmured  Mr.  Jenks. 

They  watched  the  play  of  lightning  about  a 
distant  bank  of  clouds,  but  the  storm  was  now 


I40  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

far  away,  only  a  faint  rumbling  of  thunder 
being  heard. 

"I'm  wondering  what  happened  to  the  phan- 
tom," said  Tom,  after  a  pause.  "Seems  to  me 
he  was  right  in  that  track  of  the  storm." 

"Do  you  think  it  was  a  'he'?"  asked  Mr. 
Jenks. 

"I  think  we'll  find  that  it's  some  sort  of  a 
man,"  answered  the  young  inventor.  "We  may 
find  out  very  soon,  now.  I've  changed  my 
theory  about  the  ghost  being  reflections  of 
light." 

"How's  that?"  Mr.  Damon  wanted  to  know. 

"Well,  I  think  we  are  on  the  side  of  Phantom 
Mountain  where  the  diamond  cave  is,"  went  on 
the  lad.  "The  fact  that  the  phantom  appeared 
here,  soon  after  we  arrived,  shows  that  the  men 
kept  close  track  of  our  movements.  It  also 
shows,  I  think,  that  the  phantom  did  not  have 
to  travel  far  to  be  on  the  spot,  whereas  we 
had  to  make  quite  a  trip  to  get  around  the  base 
of  the  mountain.  I  think  the  cave  is  up  there," 
and  Tom  pointed  toward  the  spot  where  the 
weird  figure  had  been  last  seen,  before  the  storm 
drove  it  back. 

"There  may  be  two  phantoms,"  suggested 
Mr.  Jenks.  "They  may  keep  one  on  this  side 


THE   VAST  CAVERN  141 

of  the  mountain,  and  one  on  the  other,  to  warn 
intruders  away." 

"It's  possible,"  admitted  Tom.  "Well,  we'll 
see  how  things  look  in  the  morning,  when  we'll 
take  up  our  march  again,  and  go  up  the  moun- 
tain. We'll  reach  the  top,  if  possible,  which  we 
couldn't  do  from  the  other  side,  as  it  was  too 
steep." 

"I  hope  we  shall  be  able  to  go  forward  in  the 
morning,"  came  from  Mr.  Jenks. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  the  lad,  struck 
by  a  peculiar  significance  in  the  diamond  man's 
tones, 

"Why,  that  landslide  may  have  opened  a  great 
gully  in  the  side  of  Phantom  Mountain,  which 
will  prevent  us  from  passing.  It  was  a  terrific 
lot  of  earth  and  stones  that  slid  away,"  answered 
Mr.  Jenks. 

"It  certainly  was,"  agreed  Mr.  Parker.  "I 
would  not  be  surprised  if  the  mountain  was  half 
destroyed,  and  it  may  be  that  the  diamond  cave 
no  longer  exists." 

"Not  very  cheerful,  to  say  the  least,"  mur* 
mured  Mr.  Jenks  to  Tom,  and,  as  it  was  getting 
quite  chilly,  following  the  storm,  they  went 
inside  the  tent. 

Tom  could  hardly  wait  for  daylight,  to  get 
up  and  see  what  havoc  the  landslide  had 


142  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

wrought.  As  soon  as  the  first  faint  flush  of 
dawn  showed  over  the  eastern  peaks,  he  hurried 
from  the  tent.  Mr.  Damon  heard  him  arise, 
and  followed. 

A  curious  scene  met  their  eyes.  All  about 
were  great  rocks  rent  and  torn  by  the  awful 
power  of  the  lightning.  The  fronts  of  the  stone 
cliffs  were  scarred  and  burned  by  the  electrical 
fire,  and  fantastic  markings,  grotesque  faces, 
and  leering  animals  seemed  to  have  been  drawn 
by  some  gigantic  artist  who  used  a  bolt  from 
heaven  for  his  brush. 

But  the  eyes  of  Tom  and  Mr.  Damon  took  all 
this  in  at  a  glance,  and  then  their  gaze  went 
forward  to  where  the  avalanche  had  torn  away 
a  great  part  of  the  mountain. 

"Whew!  I  should  say  it  was  a  landslide!" 
cried  Tom. 

"Bless  my  wishbone,  yes!"  agreed  Mr. 
Damon. 

Below  them,  in  the  valley,  lay  piled  immense 
masses  of  earth  and  stones.  Boulders  were 
heaped  up  on  boulders,  and  rocks  upon  rocks, 
being  tossed  about  in  heaps,  strung  about  in 
long  ridges,  and  swirled  about  in  curves,  as 
though  some  cyclone  had  toyed  with  them  after 
the  lightning  flash  had  tossed  them  there. 

"But  the  mountain  isn't  half  gone,"  said  Tom, 


THE   VAST  CAVERN  143 

as  nis  eyes  took  in  what  was  left  of  the  phan- 
tom berg.  "I  guess  it  will  take  a  few  more  bolts 
like  that  one,  to  put  this  hill  out  of  business." 

Though  the  landslide  had  been  a  great  one, 
the  larger  part  of  the  mountain  still  stood. 
An  immense  slice  had  been  taken  from  one  side, 
but  the  summit  was  untouched. 

"And  there's  where  the  diamond  cave  is!" 
cried  Tom,  pointing  to  it. 

"I  think  so  myself,"  agreed  Mr.  Jenks,  who 
came  from  the  tent  at  that  moment,  and  joined 
the  lad  and  Mr.  Damon.  "I  think  we  shall 
find  the  cave  somewhere  up  there.  We  must 
start  for  it,  as  soon  as  we  have  eaten,  and  we 
may  reach  it  by  night." 

The  three  stood  gazing  up  toward  the  sum- 
mit of  the  great  mountain.  Suddenly,  as  the 
sun  rose  higher  in  the  heavens,  it  sent  a  shaft  of 
rosy  light  on  the  face  of  the  berg  that  had 
been  scarred  by  the  landslide.  Tom  Swift  ut- 
tered an  exclamation,  and  pointed  at  something. 

"See!"  he  cried.  "Look  where  the  trail  is — 
the  trail  down  which  the  phantom  must  have 
come.  It  is  on  the  edge  of  a  cliff  now!" 

They  looked,  and  saw  that  this  was  so.  The 
increasing  light  had  just  revealed  it  to  them. 
When  the  lightning  bolt  had  torn  away  a  great 
portion  of  the  mountain  it  had  cut  sheer  down 


144  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKEh$ 

for  a  great  depth,  and  when  the  earth  and  stones 
fell  away  they  left  a  narrow  pathway,  winding 
around  the  mountain,  but  so  near  the  edge  of  a 
great  chasm,  that  there  was  room  but  for  one 
person  at  a  time  to  walk  on  that  footway.  The 
uncertain  trail  up  Phantom  Mountain  had  all 
but  been  destroyed. 

"The  way  up  to  the  peak  is  by  that  path, 
now,"  spoke  Tom,  in  a  low  voice. 

"Bless  my  soul!"  cried  Mr.  Damon.  "It's  as 
much  as  a  man's  life  is  worth  to  attempt  it. 
If  he  got  dizzy,  he'd  topple  over,  and  fall  a 
thousand  feet.  Dare  we  risk  it?" 

"It's  the  only  way  to  get  up,"  went  on  Tom. 
"It's  either  that  way,  or  not  at  all.  We've  tried 
the  other  side  without  success.  We  must  go  up 
this  way — or  turn  back." 

"Then  we'll  go  up!"  cried  Mr.  Jenks.  "It 
may  not  be  as  dangerous  as  it  looks  from  here." 

But  it  was  even  more  dangerous  than  it  ap- 
peared, when  they  went  part  way  up  it  after 
a  hasty  breakfast.  The  trail  was  a  mere  ledge 
of  rock  now,  and  in  some  places,  to  get  around 
a  projecting  edge  of  the  mountain,  they  had 
to  stand  with  their  backs  to  the  dizzy  depths 
at  their  feet,  and  with  both  arms  outstretched 
work  their  way  around  to  where  the  trail  was 
wider. 


THE  VAST  CAVERN  145 

"Shall  we  risk  it?"  asked  Tom,  when  they  had 
tried  the  way,  and  found  it  so  dangerous.  "We 
can't  take  anything  with  us— even  our  guns, 
for  we  couldn't  carry  them,  and  if  we  reach 
the  mouth  of  the  cave,  and  find  those  men 
there " 

He  paused  significantly.  The  adventurers 
looked  at  one  another.  The  search  for  the  dia- 
mond makers  was  becoming  more  and  more 
dangerous. 

"I  say  let's  go  on!"  decided  Mr.  Damon,  sud- 
denly. "We  want  to  locate  that  cave,  first  of 
all.  Perhaps,  when  we  do  find  it,  we  may  see 
some  easier  way  of  getting  to  it  than  this.  And 
if  those  diamond  makers  do  attack  us — well, 
I  don't  believe  they'll  shoot  defenseless  men, 
and  they  may  listen  to  reason,  and  give  Mr. 
Jenks  his  rights — tell  him  how  to  make  dia» 
monds  in  return  for  the  money  he  gave  them." 

"I  don't  believe  those  scoundrels  will  listen 
to  reason,"  replied  the  diamond  man,  "but  I 
agree  with  Mr.  Damon  that  we  ought  to  go 
on.  We  may  find  some  other  means  of  reach- 
ing the  cave — if  we  can  discover  it,  and  we'll 
take  a  chance  with  the  men." 

"Forward  it  is,  then !"  cried  Tom.  "I  have  a 
revolver,  and  I  can  supply  one  of  you  gentle- 
men with  another.  They  may  come  in  useful 


146  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

in  an  emergency.  Let's  go  back  to  camp,  take 
a  little  lunch  in  our  pockets,  and  try  to  scale 
the  mountain." 

They  were  soon  on  their  way  up  the  dizzy 
path  once  more,  and,  as  they  advanced,  they 
found  it  growing  more  and  more  dangerous. 
In  some  places  they  found  it  almost  impossible 
to  get  around  certain  corners,  where  there  was 
barely  room  for  their  feet.  As  Tom  remarked 
grimly,  a  fat  man  never  could  have  done  it. 
Fortunately  they  were  all  comparatively  thin, 
for  their  hard  work,  and  not  too  abundant  food, 
since  they  had  left  the  airship,  had  reduced  their 
weight. 

Up  and  up  they  went,  higher  and  higher, 
sometimes  finding  the  path  wide  enough  for 
two  to  walk  abreast,  and  again  seeing  it  narrow 
almost  to  a  ribbon.  They  hardly  dared  look 
down  into  the  chasm  at  their  left — a  chasm 
filled,  in  part,  with  the  rocks  and  boulders  tossed 
into  it  by  the  lightning  bolt. 

Tom  was  in  the  lead,  and  had  just  made  a 
dangerous  turn  around  a  shoulder  of  rock — one 
of  those  places  where  he  had  to  extend  both 
arms,  and  fairly  hug  the  cliff  before  he  could 
get  around. 

But,  when  he  had  made  it,  and  found  himself 
on  a  broad  pathway,  cut  in  the  living  rock,  he 


THE  VAST  CAVERN  147 

gave  a  great  shout — a  shout  that  caused  his 
companions  to  hasten  to  his  side.  They  found 
the  young  inventor  pointing  to  a  clump  of 
bushes  and  small  trees. 

But  it  was  not  the  shrubbery  that  Tom  de- 
sired to  call  to  their  attention.  They  saw  that 
in  an  instant,  for,  dimly  seen  through  the  leaves, 
was  something  black,  and,  as  they  looked  more 
closely,  they  saw  that  it  was  a  great  hole  in 
the  side  of  the  mountain — a  vast  cavern, 
opening  like  a  tunnel. 

"The  cave!  The  cave!"  cried  Tom.  "The 
diamond  makers'  cave!" 

Hardly  had  he  spoken  than  two  men,  each 
one  carrying  a  gun,  showed  themselves  in  the 
mouth  of  the  cavern,  and,  instant  later  they 
both  ran  toward  the  little  party  of  adventurers. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE  PHANTOM   CAPTURED 

SURPRISE  held  Tom  and  his  friends  almost 
spellbound  for  the  moment.  The  young  in- 
ventor's hand  went  toward  the  pocket  where  he 
carried  his  revolver.  Mr.  Jenks,  who  had  the 
only  other  weapon,  sought  to  draw  it,  but  he 
was  stopped  by  a  gesture  of  one  of  the  two  men 
with  guns. 

"Hold  on,  strangers!"  the  man  cried.  "I 
know  what  you're  up  to!  Better  not  try  to 
draw  anything — it  might  not  be  healthy.  Now, 
then,  who  are  you,  and  what  do  you  want?" 

The  question  came  rather  as  a  surprise,  at 
Jeast  to  Tom  and  Mr.  Jenks.  They  had  taken 
it  for  granted  that  these  men — if  they  were  the 
diamond  makers — would  know  Mr.  Jenks,  and 
guess  at  his  errand  in  coming  back  to  Phantom 
Mountain.  But,  it  seemed,  that  they  took  them 
all  for  casual  strangers. 

No  one  answered  for  a  moment.  Tom  caught 
the  eye  of  Mr.  Jenks,  and  there  was  a  look  of 

148 


THE  PHANTOM  CAPTURED  149 

hope  in  it.  If  ever  there  was  a  time  for  strategy, 
it  was  now.  Evidently  Munson,  the  stowaway 
on  the  airship,  had  not  yet  been  able  to  send  a 
warning  to  his  confederates.  And  neither  of 
the  two  men  recognized  Mr.  Jenks  as  the  man 
who  had  been  defrauded  of  his  rights.  It 
might  be  possible  to  conceal  the  real  object  of 
the  adventurers  until  they  had  time  to  formulate 
a  plan  of  action. 

"Well,"  exclaimed  the  man  with  the  gun, 
impatiently,  "I  ask  you  folks  a  question.  What 
do  you  want?" 

Fortunately,  neither  Mr.  Damon  nor  Mr. 
Parker  replied.  The  former  because  he  deferred 
to  Tom  and  Mr.  Jenks,  and  the  scientist  because 
he  was  busy  inspecting  some  curious  rocks  he 
picked  up.  As  it  turned  out  this  was  the  lucki- 
est thing  he  could  have  done.  It  lent  color  to 
what  Mr.  Jenks  said  a  moment  later. 

"What  are  you  doing  up  here?"  demanded 
the  man  again.  "Don't  you  know  this  is  private 
property?" 

"We — we  were  just  looking  around,"  an- 
swered Mr.  Jenks,  which  was  true  enough;  as 
far  as  it  went. 

"Prospecting,"  added  Tom. 

"After  gold?"  demanded  the  second  man, 
suspiciously. 


150  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

"We'd  be  glad  to  find  some/'  retorted  the 
lad.  At  that  moment  Mr.  Parker  began  break- 
ing off  bits  of  rock  with  a  small  geologist's 
hammer  which  he  carried.  The  men  with  thtf 
guns  looked  at  him. 

"So  you  think  you'll  find  gold  up  here?"" 
asked  the  one  who  had  first  spoken. 

"Is  there  any?"  inquired  Tom,  trying  to  make 
his  voice  sound  eager. 

"Nary  a  bit,  strangers,"  was  the  answer,  and 
the  two  men  laughed  heartily.  "Now,  we  don't 
want  to  seem  harsh,"  went  on  the  man  who 
seemed  to  be  the  spokesman,  "but  you'd  better 
get  away  from  here.  This  is  private  ground, 
and  dangerous  too — how'd  you  ever  get  up  the 
trail — we  heard  it  was  destroyed." 

"There  is  still  a  narrow  path,"  said  Mr.  Jenks. 
"We  came  up  that — the  lightning  and  landslide 
haven't  left  much  of  it,  though." 

Mr.  Parker  looked  quickly  up  from  the  rocks 
at  which  he  was  tapping  with  his  small  hammer. 

"You  have  terrific  lightning  up  here,"  he 
said.  "I  am  much  interested  in  it,  from  a 
scientific  standpoint.  I  predict  that  some  day 
the  entire  mountain  will  be  destroyed  by  a  blast 
from  the  sky." 

"I  hope  it  won't  be  right  away,"  spoke  one 
of  the  men.  "Now  I  guess  you  folks  had  better 


CHE  PHANTOM  CAPTURED  151 

be  leaving  while  there's  a  path  left  to  go  down 
by." 

"Might  I  ask,"  broke  in  Mr.  Parker,  as  calmly 
as  though  he  was  lecturing  to  a  class  of  stu- 
dents, "might  I  ask  if  you  have  noticed  any 
peculiar  effect  of  the  lightning  up  here  on  the 
summit  of  the  mountain?  Does  it  fuse  and 
melt  rocks,  so  to  speak?" 

"What's  that?"  cried  the  spokesman,  with  a 
sudden  flash  of  anger.  The  two  men  looked  at 
each  other. 

"I  wanted  to  know,  merely  for  scientific  rea- 
sons, whether  the  lightning  up  here  ever  melted 
rocks?"  repeated  Mr.  Jenks. 

"Well,  whether  it's  for  scientific  reasons  or 
for  any  other,  I'm  not  going  to  answer  you!" 
snapped  the  man.  "It's  none  of  your  affair  what 
the  lightning  does  up  here.  Now  you'd  all 
better  'vamoose' — clear  out!" 

"All  right— we'll  go,"  said  Tom,  quickly,  at 
the  same  time  motioning  to  Mr.  Jenks  to  agree 
with  him.  The  eyes  of  the  young  inventor 
were  roving  about.  He  saw  what  looked  like 
a  second  trail,  leading  down  the  mountain,  from 
the  far  side  of  the  cave.  He  was  convinced  now 
that  there  was  another  way  to  get  to  it.  Pos- 
sibly they  might  find  it.  At  any  rate  nothing 
more  could  be  done  now.  They  must  go  back, 


152  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

for  the  cavern  was  too  well  guarded  to  attempt 
to  enter  it  by  force — at  least  just  yet. 

"Yes,  we'll  go  back,"  assented  Mr.  Jenks. 

Mr.  Parker  was  tapping  away  at  the  rocks. 
He  looked  toward  the  black  mouth  of  the  big 
cave.  On  what  corresponded  to  the  roof  of  it, 
some  distance  back  from  the  entrance,  he  saw  a 
slender  metal  rod  sticking  up  into  the  air. 

"May  I  ask  if  that's  a  lightning  rod?"  he  in- 
quired innocently.  "If  it  is,  I  should  like  to 
ask  about  its  action  in  a  mountain  that  is  so 
impregnated  with  iron  ore." 

"You  may  ask  until  you  get  tired!"  cried  the 
spokesman,  again  showing  unreasoning  anger, 
"but  you'll  get  no  answer  from  us.  Now  get 
away  from  here  before  we  do  something  des- 
perate. You're  on  private  ground  and  you're 
not  wanted.  Clear  out  while  you  have  the 
chance." 

There  was  no  help  for  it.  Slowly  our  friends 
turned  and  began  to  go  down  the  dangerous 
trail.  They  were  soon  out  of  sight  of  the  two 
men  who  stood  before  the  cave,  with  their  guns 
ready,  but  neither  Tom  nor  any  of  his  comj 
panions  spoke  for  some  time. 

When  they  had  rounded  one  of  the  most 
dangerous  turns  the  young  inventor  sat  down 
to  rest,  an  example  followed  by  the  others. 


THE  PHANTOM  CAPTURED  153 

''Well,"  asked  Tom,  "do  you  think  those  are 
some  of  the  diamond  makers,  Mr.  Jenks?" 

"I  certainly  do,  though  I  never  saw  those  two 
men  before.  If  I  could  once  get  inside  the  cave, 
I  could  tell  whether  or  not  it  was  the  one  where 
I  was  practically  held  a  prisoner.  But  I'm  sure 
it  is.  I  know  some  of  the  men  used  to  go  off 
every  day  with  guns,  and  not  come  back  until 
night.  I  have  no  doubt  they  were  on  guard, 
just  as  these  two  are.  And,  also,  I  think  I  heard 
them  speak  of  a  second  entrance  to  the  cavern. 
The  one  we  just  saw  may  not  be  the  main  one, 
through  which  I  was  taken." 

"I  believe  we  are  on  the  right  track/'  ven- 
tured Mr.  Damon,  "but  we  will  either  have  to 
go  up  there  after  dark,  which  will  be  risky,  on 
account  of  the  narrow  trail,  or  else  we  will  have 
to  find  some  other  path." 

."The  last  would  be  better,"  spoke  Tom. 

"That  rod  of  metal  sticking  up  on  top  of  the 
cave  interested  me,"  said  the  scientist.  "Did 
you  hear  anything  of  that  when  you  were  here 
before,  Mr.  Jenks?" 

"No.  Probably  that  is  only  a  lightning  rod, 
or  it  may  be  a  staff  for  a  signal  flag.  But  what 
surprises  me  is  that  those  men  didn't  suspect 
that  we  were  seeking  to  discover  their  secret. 
They  took  us  for  ordinary  prospectors." 


154  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

"So  much  the  better,"  remarked  Tom.  "We 
have  a  chance  now  of  getting  inside  that  cave. 
But  we  will  have  to  go  back  to  camp,  and  make 
other  plans.  And  we  must  hurry,  or  it  will  be 
dark  before  we  get  there." 

They  hastened  their  steps,  pausing  only 
briefly  to  eat  some  of  the  lunch  they  had 
brought  along,  and  to  drink  from  a  spring  that 
bubbled  from  the  side  of  the  mountain.  It  was 
getting  dusk  when  they  got  back  to  their  tent. 
They  found  nothing  disturbed. 

"I  wonder  if  we'll  see  that  phantom  again 
to-night?"  ventured  Tom,  as  they  were  sitting 
about  the  campfire  a  little  later. 

"Probably  not,"  remarked  Mr.  Jenks.  "I 
don't  believe  the  ghost  will  venture  down  the 
dangerous  trail  after  dark,  and  the  gang  may 
think  that  the  warning  given  us  by  the  two 
men  on  guard  at  the  care  will  be  sufficient.  But 
if  we  don't  leave  here  by  to-morrow  I  think 
we  will  have  another  visit  from  the  thing  in 
white." 

It  was  about  an  hour  after  this  when  Tom 
was  collecting  some  wood  in  a  pile  nearer  the 
fire,  so  as  to  have  it  ready  to  throw  on,  in  case 
there  was  any  alarm  in  the  night,  that  he  hap- 
pened to  look  up  toward  the  summit  of  the 
mountain.  A  slight  noise,  as  of  loose  stones 


THE  PHANTOM  CAPTURED  155 

rolling  down,  attracted  his  attention,  and,  at 
first,  he  feared  lest  another  landslide  was  begin- 
ning, but  a  moment  later  he  saw  what  caused  it. 

There,  advancing  down  the  steep  and  danger- 
ous trail  was  the  figure  in  white — the  phantom* 
Instantly  a  daring  plan  came  into  Tom's  head. 
Dropping  the  wood  softly,  he  moved  back  otut 
of  the  glare  of  the  fire. 

"Mr.  Jenks!"  he  called  in  a  whisper. 

The  diamond  man,  who  was  behind  the  tent, 
came  toward  Tom. 

"What  is  it?"  he  asked.  Then,  as  he  saw  the 
ghostly  visitor,  he  added:  "Oh — the  phantom 
again!  What's  it  up  to?" 

"The  same  thing,"  replied  Tom,  "but  it  won't 
do  it  long,  if  my  plan  succeeds." 

"What  plan  is  that,  Tom?" 

"I'm  going  to  try  to  capture  that — that  man 
—-or  whatever  it  is.  Will  you  help?" 

"Surely!" 

"Then  let's  work  around  behind  it,  while  Mr. 
Damon  and  Mr.  Parker  come  up  from  in  front. 
We'll  solve  this  part  of  the  mystery,  anyhow, 
'if  it's  possible!" 

The  two  other  men  were  soon  told  of  the 
plan.  Meanwhile  the  thing  in  white  had  ad- 
vanced slowly,  until  within  a  few  hundred  feet 
of  the  camp.  They  could  see  now  that  it  was 


156  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

no  shaft  of  light,  but  some  white  body,  shaped 
like  a  tall,  thin  man,  draped  in  a  white  garment. 
The  long  arms  waved  to  and  fro.  There  was 
no  semblance  of  a  head. 

"You  and  Mr.  Parker  go  right  toward  it, 
slowly,  Mr.  Damon,"  advised  Tom.  "Mr.  Jenks 
and  I  will  make  a  circle,  and  get  in  back.  Then, 
if  it's  anything  alive  we'll  have  it." 

The  "ghost"  continued  to  advance.  Tom  and 
the  diamond  man  stole  off  to  one  side,  their 
buckskin  moccasins  making  no  sound.  Mr.  Da- 
mon and  the  scientist  went  boldly  forward. 

This  movement  appeared  to  disconcert  the 
spirit.  It  halted,  waved  the  arms  with  greater 
vigor  than  before,  and  seemed  to  indicate  to  the 
adventurers  that  it  was  dangerous  to  advance. 
But  Mr.  Damon  and  Mr.  Parker  kept  on.  They 
wanted  to  give  Tom  and  Mr.  Jenks  time  enough 
to  make  the  circuit. 

Suddenly  the  stillness  of  the  night  was  broken 
by  a  low  whistle.  It  was  Tom's  signal  that  he 
and  Mr.  Jenks  were  ready. 

"Come  on!     Run!"  cried  Mr.  Damon. 

The  scientist  and  the  eccentric  man  leaped 
forward. 

The  "ghost"  heard  the  whistle,  and  heard  the 
spoken  words.  The  thing  in  white  hesitated  a 


THE  PHANTOM  CAPTURED 

moment,  and  then  raised  one  arm.  There  was 
a  flash  of  fire,  and  a  loud  report. 

"He's  firing  in  the  air!"  cried  Tom.  "Come 
on,  we  have  him  now!" 

Undaunted  by  the  display  of  firearms,  Mn 
Damon  and  Mr.  Parker  kept  on.  They  could 
hear  Tom  and  Mr.  Jenks  running  up  in  back 
of  the  figure.  The  latter  also  heard  this,  and 
suddenly  turned.  Caught  between  the  two 
forces  of  our  friends,  the  "ghost"  was  at  a  loss 
what  to  do. 

The  next  instant  Tom,  who  had  distanced 
Mr.  Jenks,  made  a  flying  tackle  for  the  figure 
in  white,  and  caught  it  around  the  legs.  Very 
substantial  legs  they  were,  too,  Tom  felt — the 
legs  of  a  man. 

"Wow!"  yelled  the  "ghost,"  as  he  went  down 
in  a  heap,  the  revolver  falling  from  his  hand. 

"Come  on!"  cried  Tom.     "I  have  him!" 

His  friends  rushed  to  his  aid.  There  was 
a  confused  mass  of  dark  bodies,  arms  and  legs 
mingled  with  something  tall  and  thin,  all  in 
white.  Suddenly  the  moon  came  from  behind  a 
cloud  and  they  could  see  what  they  had  cap- 
tured— for  captured  the  phantom  was. 

It  proved  to  be  a  rather  small  man,  who  wore 
upon  his  shoulders  a  framework  of  wood,  over 


158  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS} 

which  some  white  cloth  was  draped.  It  had 
fallen  off  him  when  Tom  made  that  tackle. 

"Well/*  remarked  the  young  inventor,  as  he 
sat  on  the  struggling  man's  chest.  "I  guess 
we've  got  you." 

"I  rather  guess  you  have,  stranger,"  was  the 
cool 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

BILL  RENSHAW   WILL   HELP 

THEY  were  all  panting  from  the  exertion  of 
the  run  up  the  mountain  and  the  contest  with 
the  phantom — a  phantom  no  longer — though, 
truth  to  tell,  the  struggle  was  not  nearly  so 
fierce  as  Tom  had  expected.  He  thought  the 
"ghost"  would  put  up  a  stiff  fight. 

"Got  any  ropes  to  tie  him  with?"  asked  Mr. 
Damon,  who  was  helping  Tom  hold  the  man 
down. 

"Ropes?  You  aren't  going  to  tie  me  up  are 
you,  strangers?"  asked  the  captive. 

"That's  what  we  are!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Jenks. 
"We've  had  trouble  enough  in  this  matter,  and 
if  I've  got  one  of  the  gang,  perhaps  I  can  get 
some  of  the  others,  and  have  my  rights.  So 
tie  him  up,  Tom,  and  we'll  take  him  to  camp." 

"Oh,   you   needn't   go   to   all   that   trouble, 

strangers,"  went  on  the  man,  calmly.     "If  one 

of  you  will  get  off  my  chest,  and  the  other 

gentleman  ease  up  on  my  stomach  a  bitt  I'll 

iS9 


160  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

walk  wherever  you  want  me,  and  not  make  any 
trouble.  I  haven't  got  a  gun." 

"Bless  my  gloves!  But  you're  a  cool  one," 
commented  Mr.  Damon,  as  he  complied  with 
the  man's  request,  and  got  up  from  his  stomach. 
"But  look  out  for  him,  Tom.  He  had  a  gun, 
for  he  fired  it  in  the  air." 

"He  hasn't  it  now,"  answered  the  young  in- 
ventor. "I  knocked  it  from  his  hand  when  I 
leaped  for  him." 

"That's  what  you  did,"  assented  the  man, 
as  he  got  up,  while  Tom  kept  a  tight  hold  of 
him,  as  did  Mr.  Jenks.  "What  kind  of  a  grizzly 
bear  hug  do  you  call  that,  anyhow,  that  you 
gave  me?" 

"That  was  a  football  tackle,"  explained  Tom. 

"I  allers  heard  that  was  a  dangerous  game!" 
remarked  the  former  phantom  simply.  "Well, 
now  you've  got  me,  what  are  you  going  to  do 
with  me?" 

"Take  you  where  we  can  have  a  good  look 
at  you,"  replied  Mr.  Jenks,  as  he  kicked  aside 
the  wooden  framework,  and  the  sheet  which 
had  made  the  "ghost"  appear  so  tall.  "So  this 
is  how  you  worked  it;  eh?" 

"Yep.  That  was  the  'haunt'fstranger.  I  made 
it  myself,  and  it  woricecf  all  right  until  you  folks 
come  along.  I  rather  suspicioned  from  the  first, 


BILL  REN  SHAW  WILL  HELP  i6l 

when  I  played  the  trick  over  on  'tother  side 
of  the  mountain,  that  you  wouldn't  be  so  easy 
to  fool  as  most  prospectors  are." 

"Oh,  so  you're  the  only  ghost  then?"  asked 
Tom. 

"I'm  the  only  one." 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  camp. 
Tom  threw  some  light  logs  on  the  fire,  which 
blazed  up  brightly.  As  the  flames  illuminated 
the  face  of  their  captive,  Mr.  Jenks  looked  at 
him,  and  cried  out: 

"Why  it's  Bill  Renshaw!" 

"That's  me,"  admitted  the  man  who  had 
played  the  part  of  the  phantom,  "and  thunder- 
turtles!  if  it  ain't  Mr.  Jenks  who  was  once  in  the 
diamond  cave  with  us.  Whatever  happened  to 
you?  I  never  heard.  The  others  said  you  got 
tired  and  went  away." 

"They  took  me  away — defrauded  me  of  my 
rights!"  declared  Mr.  Jenks,  bitterly.  "But  I'll 
get  them  back!  To  think  of  Bill  Renshaw  play- 
ing the  part  of  a  ghost!" 

"They  made  me  do  it,"  went  on  the  man, 
somewhat  dejectedly.  "I  wanted  to  be  at  work 
in  the  cave,  but  they  wouldn't  let  me." 

"Is  this  man  one  of  the  diamond  makers?" 
asked  Tom,  in  great  surprise. 

"He  is— one  of  the  helpers,  though  I  don't, 


162  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

believe  he  knows  the  secret  of  making  the 
gems,"  explained  Mr.  Jenks.  "He  was  one  of 
the  men  in  the  cave  when  I  was  there  before, 
and  he  and  I  struck  up  quite  a  friendship;  didn't 
we,  Renshaw?" 

"That's  what,  and  there  ain't  no  reason  why 
we  can't  be  friends  now;  that  is  unless  you  hold 
a  grudge  against  me  for  firing  at  you.  But  I 
only  shot  in  the  air,  to  scare  you  away.  Them's 
my  instructions.  I'm  supposed  to  be  on  guard, 
and  scare  away  strangers.  I'm  tired  of  the 
work,  too,  for  I  don't  get  my  share,  and  those 
other  fellows,  in  the  cave,  get  all  the  money 
from  the  diamonds." 

Tom  Swift  uttered  an  exclamation.  A  sud- 
den plan  had  come  to  him.  Quickly  he  whis- 
pered to  Mr.  Jenks: 

"Make  a  friend  of  this  man  if  possible.  He 
evidently  is  dissatisfied.  Offer  him  a  sum  to 
show  us  another  way  into  the  cave,  and  we  may 
yet  discover  the  secret  of  the  diamond  makers." 

"I  will,"  declared  Mr.  Jenks,  quietly.  Then, 
turning  to  Renshaw,  he  added: 

"Bill,  come  over  here.  I  want  to  have  a 
talk  with  you.  Perhaps  it  will  be  to  our  mutual 
advantage." 

He  led  the  former  phantom  to  one  side,  and 
for  some  time  conversed  earnestly  with  him. 


BILL  RENSHAW  WILL  HELP  163 

Mr.  Jenks  told  the  story  of  how  he  had  been 
deceived  by  Folwell  and  the  others  who  were 
at  the  head  of  the  gang  of  diamond  makers. 
The  rich  man  related  how  they  had  taken  his 
money,  and,  after  promising  to  disclose  the 
secret  process  to  him,  had  broken  faith,  and 
had  drugged  him,  afterward  taking  him  out  of 
the  cave. 

"I  want  only  my  rights,  and  that  for  which 
I  paid,"  concluded  Mr.  Jenks.  "Now,  I  gather 
that  these  men  haven't  treated  you  altogether 
fairly,  Bill." 

"Indeed  they  haven't.  I  helped  'em  to  the 
best  of  my  ability,  and  all  I  get  out  of  it  is  to 
stay  out  on  this  lonely  side  of  the  mountain, 
and  play  ghost.  They  owe  me  money,  too,  and 
they  won't  pay  me,  either,  though  they  have 
lots,  for  they  sold  some  diamonds  lately." 

"Then  they  are  still  making  diamonds?" 
asked  Mr.  Jenks,  eagerly.  "Have  you  seen 
them?  Do  you  know  the  secret?" 

"No,  I  don't  know  it,  for  they  won't  let  me 
in  on  it.  I'm  always  sent  out  of  the  cave  just 
before  they  make  the  gems.  But  I  know  they've 
made  some  lately,  and  have  sold  'em.  I  want 
my  share." 

"Look  here!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Jenks,  quickly, 
wishing  to  strike  while  the  iron  was  hot.  "I'll 


164  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

make  you  a  proposition.  Show  us  how  to  get 
into  that  cave,  unknown  to  the  diamond  makers, 
and  I'll  pay  you  twice  what  they  agreed  to. 
Is  it  a  bargain?" 

Bill  Renshaw  considered  a  moment.  Then  he 
thrust  out  his  hand,  clasped  that  of  Mr.  Jenks, 
and  exclaimed: 

"It  is.  I'll  take  you  into  the  cave  by  an  en- 
trance that's  seldom  used.  There  are  four  ways 
to  get  in.  The  one  where  the  two  men  drove 
you  back  is  the  rear  one.  The  front  one  is  on 
the  other  side  of  the  mountain,  but  it's  so  well 
concealed  that  you'd  never  find  it.  But  I  can 
take  you  to  one  where  you  can  get  in,  and 
those  fellows  will  never  know  it.  And,  what's 
more,  I'll  help  you  if  it  comes  to  a  fight !" 

"Good!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Jenks.  "I  think  we'll 
discover  the  secret  of  the  diamond  makers  this 
time,"  and  he  went  to  tell  the  others  of  the 
success  of  his  talk.  Bill  Renshaw  had  been  con- 
verted from  an  enemy  into  a  friend,  and  the 
former  phantom  was  now  ready  to  lead  Tom  and 
the  others  into  the  secret  cave. 

"We'll  start  in  the  morning,"  decided  Mr. 
Jenks,  who,  after  many  disappointments,  at  last 
saw  success  ahead  of  him. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

IN  THE  SECRET  CAVE 

TOM  SWIFT  was  up  at  break  of  day,  and  the 
others  were  not  far  behind  him. 

"Now  for  the  secret  cave!"  cried  the  young 
inventor  as  he  gazed  up  the  mountain,  in  the 
interior  of  which  the  mysterious  band  of  men 
were  making  the  diamonds. 

"Have  you  made  any  plans,  Bill?"  asked  Mr. 
Jenks  of  the  former  phantom,  who  had  cast  his 
lot  in  with  the  adventurers.  "What  will  be  the 
best  course  for  us  to  follow?" 

"You  just  leave  it  to  me,  Mr.  Jenks,"  was 
the  answer.  "I'll  get  you  into  the  cave,  and 
those  fellows,  who,  I  believe,  are  trying  to  do 
ine  out  of  my  rights,  as  they  did  you  out  of 
yours,  will  never  know  a  thing  about  it." 

"Bless  my  finger-nails!"  cried  Mr.  Damon. 
'That  will  be  great!  We  can  get  in  the  cave, 
and  watch  them  make  the  diamonds  at  our 
leisure." 

"They  don't  make  them  every  day,"  explaine4 
165 


166  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

Renshaw.  "It  seems  they  have  to  wait  for 
certain  occasions.  Mostly  they  make  the  dia- 
monds when  there's  a  big  storm." 

"A  big  storm"  asked  the  scientist  with  a 
sudden  show  of  interest.  "Do  you  mean  one 
of  those  electrical  storms,  such  as  we  had  the 
other  night?" 

"That's  it,  Mr.  Parker,  though  why  they 
wait  until  there's  a  storm  is  more  than  I  can 
tell." 

"Perhaps  they  know  that  on  such  occasions 
no  one  will  venture  up  the  mountain,"  spoke 
Mr.  Damon. 

"No,  it  isn't  that,"  declared  the  scientist.  "I 
think  I  am  on  the  track  of  a  great  scientific 
discovery,  and  I  will  soon  be  able  to  make 
observations  that  will  confirm  it." 

"Well,  I'm  going  to  make  an  observation 
right  now,"  said  Tom,  with  a  laugh.  "I'm 
going  to  see  what  there  is  for  breakfast." 

"And  that  reminds  me,"  came  from  Mr. 
Jenks,  "shall  we  move  our  camp,  Bill,  and  take 
the  tent  with  us  to  the  cave?" 

"I  hardly  think  so,"  was  the  answer.  "I  think 
the  best  plan  would  be  to  conceal  the  tent  some- 
where around  here,  in  case  you  might  need  it 
again.  You  can  also  store  what  food  you  have 
left." 


IN   THE  SECRET  CAVE  167 

"But,  bless  my  appetite,  we  don't  want  to 
starve  in  that  diamond  cave!"  objected  Mr. 
Damon. 

"I'll  see  that  you  don't,"  declared  Bill  Ren- 
shaw.  "I'll  take  you  in  there,  unbeknownst  to 
those  fellows,  and  I'll  provide  you  with  plenty 
of  food  and  water.  You  see  the  cave  is  so  big 
that  there  are  some  parts  they  never  visit." 

"And  we  can  stay  in  one  of  those  parts,  and 
sat?"  asked  Tom. 

"Sure,"  answered  Bill. 

"And  watch  the  diamond  makers  at  work?" 
asked  Mr.  Jenks. 

"That's  it,"  replied  the  former  phantom. 

"Then  the  sooner  we  get  started  the  better," 
remarked  Mr.  Damon.  Mr.  Parker  said  noth- 
ing. He  appeared  to  be  thinking  deeply,  and 
was  tapping  at  some  rocks  with  his  little 
hammer. 

The  advice  of  Bill  Renshaw  was  followed, 
and  the  tent,  and  what  food  remained,  was  con- 
cealed in  the  bushes,  with  rocks  piled  over  to 
keep  away  prowling  animals.  Then  they 
started  for  the  secret  cave. 

The  man  who  played  the  part  of  a  ghost 
picked  up  the  framework  and  white  cloth  that 
had  formed  his  disguise. 

"I'll  still  have  to  use  this,"  he  explained,  "for 


168  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

I  don't  want  those  fellows  to  know  that  I'm 
helping  you.  I'll  continue  to  play  the  spirit  of 
the  mountain,  but  there  won't  be  much  need 
of  it.  I  don't  think  any  more  people  will  come 
prospecting  out  here." 

"Have  you  heard  of  the  arrival  of  Farley 
Munson?"  asked  Tom,  as  he  related  the  facta 
about  the  stowaway. 

"He  hadn't  arrived  up  to  a  day  or  so  ago," 
answered  Bill.  "I  guess  he's  still  traveling, 
Farley  is  one  of  the  heads  of  the  gang,"  he 
added,  "and  a  dangerous  man." 

As  Bill  led  the  way  toward  the  cave,  taking 
a  route  that  the  adventurers  had  never  sus- 
pected led  to  it,  he  explained  that  the  cavern 
was  a  large  one,  capable  of  holding  an  army. 

"But  there's  only  a  small  part  of  it  used  by 
the  diamond  makers,"  he  added.  "They  work 
in  a  small  recess,  near  the  summit  of  the  moun- 
tain. The  little  cave,  where  I'm  going  to  take 
you,  opens  off  from  it  by  a  long  passage.  And, 
except  that  you'll  be  pretty  much  in  the  dark, 
you'll  be  quite  comfortable.  There  are  tables, 
chairs,  and  some  bunks  in  the  place.  I  can  get 
you  some  lights,  and  plenty  of  food." 

"But,  if  you  are  seen  taking  away  food,  won't 
the  others  suspect  something?"  asked  Tom. 

"I  do  pretty  much  as  I  please,"  said  Bill,    "f 


IN  THE  SECRET  CAVE  169 

go  and  come  when  I  like.  All  I'm  supposed  to 
do  is  to  watch  my  two  sides  of  the  mountain, 
play  the  ghost,  and  give  warning  when  any  one 
is  coming.  Sometimes  I  leave  black  and  white 
messages,  like  the  one  I  put  on  your  tent. 
Those  fellows  fix  'em  up  for  me.  I've  told  'em 
about  you,  though  I  didn't  know  who  you 
were,  and  they  think  you  have  gone,  for  the 
two  men  on  guard  at  the  rear  entrance  so  re- 
ported. Sometimes  I  stay  out  on  the  mountain 
for  a  couple  of  days  at  a  time,  when  the 
weather's  good,  and  don't  go  back  to  the  cave. 
Those  times  I  take  food  with  me,  and  so  if  they 
see  me  making  off  with  some  supplies  they'll 
think  I'm  going  to  camp  out." 

"It  doesn't  look  as  though  we'd  ever  ge* 
into  a  cave  near  the  top  of  the  mountain,  going 
this  way,"  said  Tom,  as  they  marched  along. 
"We're  going  down,  instead  of  up." 

'That's  the  secret  of  this  trail,"  explained 
Bill.  "We  go  down  in  a  sort  of  valley,  and  then 
go  up  a  pretty  stiff  place,  and  then  we're  on  a 
direct  trail  to  the  entrance  I  told  you  about. 
It's  a  steep  road  to  climb,  but  I  guess  we  can 
manage  it." 

And  a  hard  climb  the  adventurers  did  find  it. 
The  road  was  almost  as  bad  as  the  one  along 
the  edge  of  the  chasm,  but  they  managed  to 


170  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS. 

negotiate  it,  and  finally  found  themselves  on  a 
fairly  good  trail. 

"We'll  soon  be  there,"  Bill  assured  them, 
"After  you  get  in  the  little  cave,  where  I'm 
going  to  hide  you,  I'll  have  to  leave  you  for  a 
spell,  until  I  get  my  ghost  rigging  fixed  up 
again.  But  I'll  see  that  you  have  plenty  of 
food  and  drink." 

A  little  later  their  guide  came  to  a  sudden 
halt,  and  peered  around  anxiously. 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  Tom. 

"I  was  just  looking  to  see  if  any  of  the  men 
were  about,"  he  answered.  "But  I  guess  not — 
it  looks  all  right.  The  entrance  is  right  here." 

They  were  on  a  side  of  the  mountain,  near 
the  summit.  Below  stretched  a  magnificent 
scene.  A  great  valley  lay  at  their  feet,  and  they 
could  look  off  to  many  distant  peaks.  The  main 
trail  to  Leadville,  and  the  one  to  the  settle- 
ment of  Indian  Ridge,  was  in  sight. 

Suddenly  Tom,  who  had  been  using  a  small 
but  powerful  telescope,  uttered  an  exclamation, 
and  focussed  the  instrument  on  a  speck  that 
seemed  moving  along  on  the  trail  below. 

"A  man — coming  up  the  mountain,"  cried 
Tom.  "And—it  can't  be— yet  it  is— it's  Farley 
Munson — the  stowaway!"  he  cried.  "He's 
coming  here!" 


IN   THE  SECRET  CAVE  171 

"Let  me  look!"  begged  Mr.  Jenks,  taking  the 
glass  from  Tom.  An  instant  later  the  diamond 
man  exclaimed:  "Yes,  it's  Munson!" 

"Then  in  here  with  you — quick!"  cried  Ren- 
shaw.  "He  can't  see  us  yet,  and  we'll  be  out 
of  sight  in  another  minute." 

The  former  spirit  pulled  aside  some  thick 
bushes,  and  pointed  to  a  hole  which  was 
disclosed. 

"The  entrance  to  the  secret  cave,"  he  an- 
nounced. "Slip  in^ll  of  you." 

Tom,  after  another  glance  at  the  man  toiling 
his  ?vay  up  the  mountain,  entered  the  cavern. 
He  was  followed  by  the  others.  Bill  was  the 
last  to  enter,  and  he  replaced  the  bushes  over 
the  entrance. 

"At  last!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Jenks,  as  he  gazed 
wp  at  the  roof  of  the  dimly-lighted  vault  in 
which  they  found  themselves. 

"Yes,  we're  in  the  diamond  makers'  secret 
cave,"  added  Tom.  "Now  to  catch  them  at 
work!" 

"Come  on,"  advised  Bill,  in  a  low  tone. 
"We're  not  safe  yet,"  and  he  produced  a  lantern 
from  some  hidden  recess,  lighted  the  wick,  and 
led  the  way.  As  the  others  followed  they  were 
aware  of  a  subdued  noise  in  the  great  cavero, 


CHAPTER  XX 

MAKING    THE   DIAMONDS 

"WHAT'S  that  noise?"  asked  Tom,  as  their 
guide  flashed  the  lantern  to  show  them  the  way. 

"That's  the  men  getting  ready  to  make  dia- 
monds, I  guess/'  was  the  answer.  "You  see  it 
takes  quite  a  while  to  get  the  stuff  ready.  I 
don't  know  what  they  use — they  never  tell  me 
any  of  their  secrets." 

"Oh,  I  know  the  ingredients  well  enough," 
said  Mr.  Jenks,  "but  I  don't  know  the  secret 
of  how  they  apply  the  terrific  heat  and  pressure 
necessary  to  fuse  the  materials  into  diamonds." 

"Well,  you'll  soon  know,"  declared  Bill  Ren- 
shaw.  "Of  course  it  isn't  always  successful. 
I've  known  'em  to  try  half  a  dozen  times  before 
they  got  any  diamonds  big  enough  to  satisfy 
'em.  They  gave  me  some  of  the  small  ones 
when  I  asked  for  my  wages." 

"How  did  you  come  to  get  in  with  these 
men?"  asked  Tom,  curious  to  understand  how 
a  person  seemingly  as  honest  as  Renshaw  ap* 
IT* 


MAKING  THE  DIAMONDS  173 

peared  to  be  had  cast  his  lot  in  with  the  men 
who  had  broken  faith  with  Mr.  Jenks. 

"Oh,  I've  lived  around  these  parts  all  my 
life,"  was  the  answer.  "I  knew  of  this  cave 
before  these  diamond  fellers  came  to  it.  In 
fact,  I  showed  it  to  'em.  It  was  several  years 
ago  that  a  party  of  men  who  were  prospecting 
around  here  came  to  me  and  asked  if  I  knew  of 
a  small  cave  near  the  top  of  a  high  mountain, 
where  lightning  storms  were  frequent.  I  told 
them  about  Phantom  Mountain,  as  it  was  called 
then,  and  also  of  this  cave.  If  there's  any  place 
where  they  have  worse  lightning  storms  than 
here,  I'd  liki  to  know  it.  They  scare  me,  some- 
times, like  the  night  when  that  landslide  hap- 
pened, and  I'm  sort  of  used  to  'em. 

"Well,  I  took  these  men  to  the  cave,  and 
they  hired  me  as  a  sort  of  lookout.  Then  they 
began  their  work,  and  at  first  I  didn't  know 
what  they  were  up  to,  but  finally  I  caught  on. 
Then  Mr.  Jenks  came,  and  disappeared  mys- 
teriously, though  then  I  didn't  know  that  they 
had  played  a  trick  on  him.  I  was  outside  most 
of  the  time,  pretending  I  was  the  ghost.  So 
that's  how  I  came  to  get  in  with  'em,  and  I 
wish  I  was  out." 

"You  soon  will  be,  I  think,"  declared  Mr. 


174  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS; 

Jenks.  "But  won't  our  talking  be  heard  by 
the  men?" 

"No  danger.  There  is  a  thick  wall  between 
this  part  of  the  cave,  and  the  part  where  they 
live  and  work.  1*11  soon  have  you  well  hid,  and 
then  you  wait  until  I  come  back." 

"What  about  Munson?"  asked  Tom.  "He 
is  evidently  on  his  way  here  to  tell  his  con- 
federates about  us." 

"He  won't  know  what  has  happened  to  us," 
said  Mr.  Jenks,  "and  he  won't  see  anything  of 
us.  I  guess  we're  safe  enough." 

Through  the  dark  passage  they  followed  Bill 
Renshaw  until  he  came  to  a  halt  in  a  place 
that  suddenly  widened  and  broadened  into  a 
good-sized  cave. 

"Here's  your  stopping  place,"  said  the  former 
ghost.  "Now  if  you  follow  that  passage,  off 
to  the  left,"  and  he  pointed  to  it,  "you'll  come 
to  the  larger  part  of  the  cave  where  the  diamond 
makers  are.  But  go  cautiously,  and  don't  make 
any  noise.  I  won't  be  responsible  for  what 
happens." 

"We'll  take  all  the  risk,"  interrupted  Tom. 

"All  right.  Now  there's  a  couple  of  lanterns 
around  here.  I'll  light  them,  and  leave  you  for 
a  while  until  I  can  get  some  grub.  I'll  be  back 
as  soon  as  I  can." 


MAKING  THE  DIAMONDS  175 

He  glided  away,  after  lighting  two  lanterns, 
by  the  gleams  of  which  the  adventurers  could 
see  that  they  were  in  a  vaulted  cavern  that  had 
evidently  been  fitted  up  as  a  living  apartment.^ 
The  sides,  roof  and  floor  were  of  stone.  It 
was  clean,  and  the  air  was  fresh.  There  were 
some  chairs,  a  table,  and  several  cots,  with 
pieces  of  bagging  for  bedding,  though  it  was 
warm  in  the  place. 

"I  guess  we  can  stay  here  until  we  discover 
the  secret,"  spoke  Tom. 

"Bless  my  watch!  We  can  if  we  have  some- 
thing to  eat,"  came  from  Mr.  Damon,  with 
something  like  a  sigh.  "I'm  hungry!" 

"And  I  want  to  make  some  observations," 
said  Mr.  Parker.  "From  what  I  have  seen  of 
this  mountain,  I  would  not  be  surprised  if  this 
cave  was  to  be  suddenly  destroyed  by  a  land- 
slide or  a  lightning  bolt.  I  will  make  some 
further  investigations." 

"Well,  if  it's  going  to  cause  you  to  make 
such  gloomy  prophecies  as  that,  I'd  just  as 
soon  you  wouldn't  look  any  further,"  spoke 
Tom,  in  a  low  voice.  But  Mr.  Parker,  taking 
one  of  the  lanterns,  set  about  examining  the 
rock  of  which  the  cave  consisted. 

In  a  short  time  Bill  Renshaw  returned  with 
enough  food  to  last  for  two  days.  He  said 


176  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

he  was  going  out  on  the  mountain  once  more 
to  act  the  part  of  a  lookout,  and  would  visit  the 
adventurers  again  the  next  day. 

"In  the  meanwliile  you  can  do  just  as  you 
please/'  he  said.  "Nobody  is  likely  to  disturb 
you  here,  and  you  can  sneak  up  and  take  a  look 
at  the  men  in  the  other  cave  whenever  you're 
ready.  Only  be  careful — that's  all  I've  got  to 
say.  They're  desperate  men." 

It  was  not  very  pleasant,  eating  in  the  gloomy 
cavern,  but  they  made  the  best  of  it.  They 
cooked  on  a  small  oil-stove  they  found  in  the 
place,  and  after  some  hot  coffee  they  felt  much 
better. 

"Well,"  remarked  Tom,  after  a  while,  "shall 
we  take  a  chance,  and  go  look  at  the  men  at 
work?" 

"I  think  so,"  answered  Mr.  Jenks.  "The 
sooner  we  discover  this  mystery,  the  better. 
Then  we  can  go  back  home." 

"And  recover  my  airship,"  added  Tom,  who 
was  a  bit  uneasy  regarding  the  safety  of  the 
Red  Cloud. 

"Then,  bless  my  finger-rings!  let's  go  and  see 
if  we  can  find  the  big  cave  your  friend  the  ghost 
told  us  of,"  suggested  Mr.  Damon. 

Cautiously  they  made  their  way  along  the 
passage  Bill  had  pointed  out.  As  they  wen* 


MAKING  THE  DIAMONDS  177 

forward  the  subdued  noise  became  louder,  and 
finally  they  could  feel  the  vibration  of  ma- 
chinery. 

'This  is  the  place,"  whispered  Mr.  Jenks. 
'That  sound  we  hear  is  one  of  the  mixing  ma- 
chines, for  grinding  the  materials — carbon  and 
the  other  substances — which  go  to  make  up  the 
diamonds.  I  remember  hearing  that  when  I 
was  in  the  cave  before." 

"Then  we  must  be  near  the  place,"  observed 
Tom. 

"Yes,  but  I  didn't  have  much  chance  to  look 
around  when  I  was  here  before.  They  wouldn't 
let  me.  I  never  even  knew  of  the  small  cave 
Bill  took  us  to." 

"Well,  if  we're  close  to  it,  we'd  better  go 
cautiously,  and  not  talk  any  more  than  we're 
obliged  to,"  suggested  Mr.  Parker,  and  they 
agreed  that  this  was  good  advice. 

They  walked  on  softly.  Suddenly  Tom,  who 
was  in  the  lead,  saw  a  gleam  of  light. 

"We're  here,"  he  whispered.  "I'll  put  out 
our  lantern,  now,"  which  he  did.  Then,  steal- 
ing forward  he  and  the  others  beheld  a  curious* 
sight.  The  tunnel  they  were  in  ended  at  a 
.small  hole  which  opened  into  a  large  cavern, 
and,  fortunately,  this  opening  was  concealed 
from  the  view  of  those  in  the  main  place. 


178  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

"The  diamond  makers!"  whispered  Tom, 
hoarsely,  pointing  to  several  men  grouped  about 
a  number  of  strange  machines. 

"Yes — the  very  place  where  I  was,"  answered 
Mr.  Jenks,  "and  there  is  the  apparatus — the 
steel  box — from  which  the  diamonds  are  taken 
— now  to  see  how  they  make  them." 

Fascinated,  the  adventurers  looked  into  the 
cave.  The  men  there  were  unaware  of  the 
presence  of  our  friends,  and  were  busily  en- 
gaged. Some  attended  to  the  grinding  ma- 
chine, the  roar  and  clatter  of  which  made  it 
possible  for  Tom  and  the  others  to  talk  and 
move  about  without  being  overheard.  Into 
this  machine  certain  ingredients  were  put,  and 
they  were  then  pulverized,  and  taken  out  in 
powdery  form. 

The  power  to  run  the  mixing  machine  was  a 
gasoline  motor,  which  chug-chugged  away  in 
one  corner  of  the  cave. 

As  the  powder  was  taken  out,  other  men 
fashioned  it  into  small  balls,  which  were  put  on 
a  pan,  and  into  a  sort  of  oven,  that  was  heated 
by  a  gasoline  stove. 

"Is  that  how  they  make  the  diamonds ?" 
asked  Mr.  Damon. 

"That  is  evidently  the  first  step,"  said  Mr. 
Jenks.  "Those  balls  of  powdered  chemicals  are 


MAKING  THE  DIAMONDS 


179 


partly  baked,  and  then  they  are  put  into  the 
steel  box.  In  some  way  terrific  heat  and  pres- 
sure are  applied,  and  the  diamonds  are  made. 
But  how  the  heat  and  pressure  are  obtained  if 
what  we  have  yet  to  learn/' 

He  paused  to  watch  the  men  at  work.  They 
were  all  busy,  some  attending  to  the  machines, 
and  others  coming  and  going  in  and  out  of  the 
cave.  In  one  part  a  man  was  apparently  get- 
ting ready  a  meal. 

Suddenly  there  rushed  into  the  cave  a  man 
who  seemed  much  excited. 

"Are  you  nearly  ready  with  that  stuff?"  he 
cried.  "There's  a  good  storm  gathering  on  the 
mountain!" 

"Yes,  we'll  be  ready  in  half  an  hour,"  an- 
swered one  of  the  men  at  the  mixing  machine. 

"Good.  It  will  be  flashing  lightning  bolts 
then,  and  we  can  see  what  luck  we  have.  The 
last  batch  was  a  failure."  The  man  hurried  out 
again.  Mr.  Parker  touched  Tom  and  Mr.  Jenks 
on  their  shoulders. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Tom. 

"I  know  the  secret  of  making  the  diamonds/ 
said  the  scientist. 

"What?"  cried  Mr.  Jenks. 

"It  is  by  the  awful  power  of  the  lightning 
bolts!"  whispered  Mr.  ( Parker.  "Everything  is 


38o  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

explained  now— the  reason  why  they  make  dia- 
monds in  this  lonely  place,  near  the  top  of  the 
mountain.  They  need  a  place  where  the  light- 
ning is  powerful.  I  can  understand  it  now — 1 
suspected  it  before.  They  make  diamonds  by 
lightning!" 

"Are  you  sure?"  cried  Mr.  Jenks. 

"Positive." 

"I  agree  with  you,"  said  Tom  Swift.  "I  was 
just  getting  on  that  track  myself,  when  I  saw 
the  electric  wires  running  to  the  steel  box. 
That  explains  the  upright  rod  on  the  top  of 
the  mountain.  The  man  says  a  storm  is  coming 
— very  well;  we'll  stay  here  and  watch  them 
make  diamonds!" 

As  he  spoke  there  came  the  mutter  of 
thunder,  and  the  mountain  vibrated  slightly. 
The  men  in  the  cave  redoubled  their  activity. 
Tom  and  his  friends  felt  that  the  secret  process 
they  had  so  long  sought  was  about  to  be 
demonstrated  before  their  eyes. 


CHAPTER   XXI 

FLASHING   GEMS 

EAGERLY  the  adventurers  looked  through  tha 
opening  at  the  end  of  the  passage  into  tht 
larger  cave.  The  men  opened  the  small  oven  in 
which  the  balls  of  white  chemicals  and  carbon 
mixed,  had  been  baked,  and  a  pile  of  things, 
that  looked  like  irregularly-shaped  marbles, 
were  placed  in  the  steel  box. 

This  box,  which  was  about  the  size  of  a  trunk, 
was  of  massive  metal.  It  was  placed  in  a  recess 
in  the  solid  rock,  and  all  about  were  layers  of 
asbestos  and  other  substances  that  were  non- 
conductors of  heat. 

"That  box  becomes  red  hot,"  exclaimed  Mr. 
fenks,  in  a  whisper.  "When  things  are  in  readi- 
ness, that  lever  is  pulled  and  the  diamonds  are 
made.  I  pulled  it  once,  but  I  did  not  then  know 
the  process  involved.  I  supposed  that  the  light- 
ning had  nothing  to  do  with  making  the 
diamonds." 

"It  has — a  most  important  part,"  said  Mr. 


182  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

Parker.  The  hidden  adventurers  could  talk  in 
perfect  safety  now,  for  the  men  in  the  large 
cave  were  too  excited  to  pay  much  attention 
to  them.  The  muttering  of  the  thunder  grew 
louder,  and  at  times  a  particularly  loud  crash 
told  that  a  bolt  had  struck  somewhere  in  th$ 
vicinity  of  the  cave. 

"But,  bless  my  watch-charm!"  exclaimed  Mr, 
Damon,  "I  didn't  know  lightning  made 
diamonds/' 

"It  does  not — always/'  went  on  the  scientist 
"But  great  heat  and  pressure  are  necessary  to 
create  the  gems.  In  nature  this  was  probably 
obtained  by  prehistoric  volcanic  fires,  and  by 
the  terrific  pressure  of  immense  rocks.  It  is 
possible  to  make  diamonds  in  the  laboratory 
of  the  chemist,  but  they  are  so  minute  as  to  be 
practically  valueless. 

"However,  these  men  seem  to  have  hit  upon 
a  new  plan.  They  utilize  the  terrific  heat  of 
lightning,  and  the  pressure  which  is  instantane- 
ously obtained  when  the  bolt  strikes.  I  am 
anxious  to  see  how  it  is  done.  Look,  I  think 
they  are  getting  ready  to  make  the  gems." 

Indeed  there  seemed  to  be  an  air  of  expectt 
ancy  among  the  diamond  makers.  The  mixing 
machine  had  now  been  stopped,  and,  as  it  wa^ 
more  quiet  in  the  cave,  our  friends,  in  their 


FLASHING  GEMS  183 

hiding-place,  had  to  speak  in  m:re  whispers* 
All  the  men  were  now  gathered  about  the  great 
steel  box. 

This  receptacle  had  been  closed  by  a  solid 
metal  door,  which  was  screwed  and  clamped 
tight.  Then  one  of  the  men  examined  a  num- 
ber of  heavily  insulated  electric  wires  that  ex- 
tended from  the  box  off  into  the  darkness  where 
Tom  and  his  companions  could  not  discern 
them. 

"That's  Folwell— the  man  I  befriended,  and 
who  got  me  into  this  game,"  whispered  Mr. 
Jenks.  "He  was  also  one  of  the  first  to  turn 
against  me.  I  think  he's  one  of  the  leaders." 

Folwell  came  back,  after  having  gone  into  a 
dark  part  of  the  cave.  He  went  over  to  an 
dectrical  switch  on  one  of  the  stone  walls. 

"It's  almost  time,"  Tom  heard  him  say  to  his 
confederates.  "The  storm  is  coming  up 
rapidly." 

"Will  it  be  severe  enough?"  asked  one  of  the 
helpers.  "We  had  all  our  work  for  nothing 
last  time.  The  flashes  weren't  heavy  enough." 

"These  will  be,"  asserted  Folwell.  "The  in- 
dicator shows  nearly  a  million  volts  now,  and 
it's  increasing." 

"A  million  volts!"  exclaimed  Tom.  "I  hope 
it  doesn't  strike  anywhere  around  here." 


184  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

"Oh,  it  will  probably  be  harmlessly  conducted 
down  on  the  heavy  wires,"  said  Mr.  Parker. 
"We  are  in  no  danger,  at  present,  though  ulti" 
mately  I  expect  to  see  the  whole  mountain 
shattered  by  a  lightning  bolt." 

"Cheerful  prospect,"  murmured  Tom. 

There  was  a  terrific  crash  outside.  The  rocky 
floor  of  the  cave  trembled. 

"Here  she  comes!"  cried  Folwell.  "Get  back, 
everybody!  I'm  going  to  throw  over  the  switch 
now!" 

The  men  retreated  well  away  from  the  steel 
box.  Folwell  threw  over  the  lever — the  sams 
one  Mr.  Jenks  remembered  pulling.  Then  the 
man  ran  to  the  electric  switch  on  the  wall, 
and  snapped  that  into  place,  establishing  a 
connection. 

There  was  a  moment's  pause,  as  Folwell  ran 
to  join  the  others  in  their  place  of  safety.  Then 
from  without  there  came  a  most  nerve-racking 
and  terrifying  crash.  It  seemed  as  if  the  very 
mountain  would  be  rent  into  fragments. 

Watching  with  eager  eyes,  the  adventurers 
saw  sparks  flash  from  the  steel  box.  Instantly 
it  became  red  hot,  and  then  glowed  white  and 
incandescent.  It  was  almost  at  the  melting 
point. 

Then  came  comparative  quiet,  as  the  echoes 


FLASHING  GEMS 

of  the  thunder  died  away  amid  the  mountain 
peaks. 

"I  guess  that  did  the  trick!"  cried  FolwelL 
"It  was  a  terrific  crash  all  right!" 

He  and  the  others  ran  forward.  The  steel 
box  was  now  a  cherry  red,  for  it  was  cooling. 
Folwell  threw  back  the  lever,  and  another  man 
disconnected  the  switch.  There  was  a  period 
of  waiting  until  the  box  was  cool  enough  to 
open.  Then  the  heavy  door  was  swung  back. 

With  a  long  iron  rod  Folwell  drew  something 
from  the  retort.  It  was  the  tray  which  had 
held  the  white  balls.  But  they  were  white  no 
longer,  for  they  had  been  turned  into  diamonds. 
From  their  hiding-place  Tom  and  the  others 
could  see  the  flashing  gems,  for,  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  the  diamonds  were  uncut,  some  ol 
them  sparkled  most  brilliantly,  due  to  the 
peculiar  manner  in  which  they  were  made. 

"We  have  the  secret  of  the  diamonds!"  whis- 
pered Mr.  Jenks.  "There  must  be  a  quart  o$ 
>he  gems  there!" 

The  men  gathered  about  Folwell,  uttering 
exclamations  of  delight.  The  diamonds  were 
too  hot  to  handle  yet. 

"That's  going  some!"  exclaimed  the  chief  ot 
the  diamond  makers.  "We  have  a  small  fortune 
here." 


186  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

There  was  a  sudden  commotion  at  one  end 
of  the  cave.  A  man  rushed  in.  At  the  sight 
of  him  Tom  stared  and  uttered  an  exclamation. 

"Munson — the  stowaway!"  he  whispered. 

"Hello!"  cried  Folwell,  as  he  saw  his  confeder* 
ate.  "I  thought  you  were  East,  keeping  Jenki 
away  from  here." 

"He  got  the  best  of  me!"  cried  Munson,  "ha 
and  that  Tom  Swift!  I  stowed  away  on  their 
airship,  but  they  found  me  out  by  a  wireless 
message,  and  marooned  me  in  the  woods.  I've 
been  trying  to  get  here  ever  since !  Didn't  you 
get  my  messages  of  warning?" 

"No — what  warnings  ?"  cried  Folwell. 

"About  Jenks,  Tom  Swift  an<?  the  others. 
They're  here — they  must  be  on  Phantom  Mous** 
tain  now.  In  fact,  I  shouldn't  be  surprised  i\ 
they  were  in  this  cave.  I  traced  them  to  their 
camp,  but  they're  gone.  They  may  be  among 
us  now — in  some  of  the  secret  recesses!" 

For  an  instant  Folwell  stared  at  the  bearef 
of  these  tidings.  Then  he  cried  out: 

"Scatter  men,  and  find  these  fellows!  We 
must  get  them  before  they  discover  our  secret !' 

"It's  too  late — we  know  it!"  exulted  Tom 
Swift.  Then  he  whispered  to  the  others  to 
hurry  to  the  part  of  the  cave  where  Bill  Ren- 
had  first  hidden  them. 


CHAPTER  XXi. 

PRISONERS 

"Do  YOU  think  there  is  any  danger  of  them 
Ending  us?"  asked  Mr.  Damon,  as  he  hurried 
along  beside  Tom. 

"I'm  afraid  so/'  was  the  answer.  "I've  been 
worried  ever  since  we  saw  Munson  heading  this 
way.  But  we  couldn't  do  any  differently." 

"Perhaps  Bill  Renshaw  may  be  able  to  con- 
ceal us/'  suggested  Mr.  Jenks.  "Very  likely 
he  knows  that  Munson  is  on  hand.  Perhaps 
we  will  be  safe  for  a  while.  I  want  to  make  a 
few  more  observations  as  to  how  they  manu- 
facture the  diamonds,  and  then,  with  what  I 
already  know,  I'll  have  the  secret." 

"And  I'd  like  to  make  some  scientific  tests 
of  the  sides  and  bottom  rocks  of  the  cave/' 
spoke  Mr.  Parker.  "I  think  it  will  bear  out 
my  theory  that  the  mountain  will  soon  be 
destroyed." 

"Well,  you  were  right  about  Earthquake 
Island,  and  you  may  be  right  about  this  rnoun* 


,j88  ?'OM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

tain,"  said  Tom,  "but  if  it  is  going  to  be  anni- 
hilated I  hope  we  get  far  enough  away  from 
it." 

"If  we  can  keep  our  presence  here  a  secret  foi 
a  few  more  days,  I  think  that  will  be  long 
enough,"  proceeded  Mr.  Jenks.  "Then  we  will 
leave." 

"And,  in  the  meanwhile,  they'll  be  searching 
for  us,"  objected  Mr.  Damon.  "I  wish  that 
ghost-chap  would  come  back  and  tell  us  what 
to  do.  Bless  my  liver-pin,  but  we  are  going 
to  be  in  considerable  danger,  I'm  afraid!  Those 
men  may  capture  us,  and  decide  to  make 
diamond  dust  from  us." 

"Come  on — hurry  to  the  little  cave,"  urge4 
Tom.  "Then  we'll  get  ready  to  defend  our- 
selves." 

The  main  cave  is  a  large  one,"  said  Mr.  Jenks^ 
"and  there  are  many  hiding  places  in  it.  Iij 
fact,  it  is  so  large  that  it  will  take  those  fellows 
several  days  to  complete  a  circuit  of  it.  By  that 
time  Bill  Renshaw  may  come  back,  and  take  us 
to  some  place  in  which  they  have  already 
searched  for  us.  Then  we'll  be  comparatively 
safe." 

This  thought  was  some  consolation  to  them, 
as  they  made  their  way  through  the  dark  pas- 
sage, dimly  illuminated  by  the  lantern  they  had 


PRISONERS  189 

rekindled,  to  the  place  where  Bill  had  hidden 
them.  They  found  things  as  they  had  left  them, 
and  proceeded  to  get  a  meal,  though  Tom  said 
it  would  be  best  not  to  cook  anything,  or  even 
to  make  coffee,  for  fear  the  odors  would  enable 
the  searchers  to  trail  them. 

So  they  ate  cold  food,  glad  to  get  that. 
Silently  they  sat  about  the  dimly-lighted 
cavern,  and  discussed  the  situation.  True  they 
might  even  now  retreat,  going  out  of  the  en- 
trance Bill  had  showed  them,  and  so  escape. 
But  Mr.  Jenks  felt  that  his  mission  was  not 
completed  yet,  and  they  all  agreed  to  stay  with 
him. 

"For  there  are  several  points  about  making 
diamonds  that  are  not  quite  clear  to  me,"  he 
said,  "I  need  to  know  how  that  steel  box  is 
constructed,  how  the  electrical  switches  are 
arranged,  what  kind  of  lightning  rods  they  use, 
and  how  they  regulate  the  pressure.  The  other 
things,  and  how  to  mix  the  ingredients,  I 
already  know." 

"Then  we'll  do  our  best  to  help  you,"  prom- 
ised Tom.  "But  now  I  think  we  had  better 
see  what  sort  of  a  defense  we  can  put  up.  We 
have  our  guns  and  revolvers,  and  with  these 
chairs  and  tables  we  can  build  a  sort  of  barricade 


190  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS. 

behind  which  we  can  take  refuge  if  those  fellows 
do  discover  our  hiding  place." 

This  was  conceded  to  be  a  good  idea,  and! 
soon  a  rude  sort  of  fort  was  made,  behind  which 
the  adventurers  could  take  their  stand  and 
fight,  if  necessary,  though  they  hoped  this 
would  not  come  to  pass. 

They  remained  quietly  in  the  cave  the  re- 
mainder of  that  day,  and,  when  it  was  night, 
as  they  could  tell  by  their  timepieces — there 
was  no  daylight — they  divided  the  hours  into 
watches,  taking  turns  standing  guard. 

Morning,  at  least  in  point  of  time,  came  with- 
out any  disturbance,  and  they  made  a  cold 
breakfast.  They  hoped  that  Bill  Renshaw  would 
come,  but  he  did  not  appear. 

After  sitting  in  the  dark  cave  until  afternoon, 
Tom  said: 

"I  think  we  might  as  well  go  and  take  an- 
other observation  of  the  big  cave.  We  can  tell 
what  the  men  are  doing,  then,  for  they  don't 
seem  to  have  been  near  us.  Maybe  they  have 
given  up  the  search  for  us,  and  we  can  see  them 
at  work,  and  Mr.  Jenks  can  gain  what  further 
knowledge  he  needs." 

€<That  will  be  a  good  plan,"  agreed  the  dia- 
mond man.  "It's  maddening  to  sit  here,  doing 
nothing." 


PRISONERS  ^91 

"And  it  will  be  comparatively  safe  to  go  from 
here  to  our  former  post  of  observation,"  added 
Tom,  "for  there  doesn't  seem  to  be  any  open- 
ing along  the  tunnel,  into  the  larger  cave,  ex- 
cept the  place  where  we  were." 

Accordingly  they  started  off.  Cautiously 
they  looked  through  the  opening  into  the  apart- 
ment where  they  had  seen  the  diamonds  made. 

"There's  not  a  soul  here!"  exclaimed  Tom, 
in  a  whisper.  The  others  looked.  The  place 
was  deserted — the  machinery  silent.  Mr.  Jenks 
peered  in  for  a  moment,  and  then  exclaimed: 

"I'm  going  in!  Now's  my  chance  to  find 
out  all  that  I  wish  to  know!  It  may  never  come 
again,  and  then  we  can  soon  leave  Phantom 
Mountain!" 

It  was  a  daring  plan,  but  it  seemed  to  be  the 
best  one  to  follow.  They  were  all  tired  of  in- 
activity. Mr.  Jenks  managed  to  get  through 
the  opening,  and  dropped  into  the  big  cave. 
The  others  followed.  Mr.  Jenks  hurried  over  to 
the  steel  box,  and  began  an  examination  of  it. 
Tom  Swift  was  looking  at  the  electrical  switch, 
He  saw  how  it  was  constructed.  Mr.  Damon 
and  Mr.  Parker  were  peering  interestedly  about. 

Suddenly  the  sound  of  voices  was  heard,  and 
the  echo  of  footsteps.  Mr.  Jenks  started. 


192  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  'DIAMOND  MAKERS: 

"They're  coming  back!"  he  whispered  hoarse- 
ly. "Run!" 

They  all  turned  and  sped  toward  their  hiding- 
place.  But  they  were  too  late.  An  instant 
later  Folwell,  Munson  and  the  other  diamond 
makers  confronted  them.  Our  friends  made  a 
bold  rush,  but  were  caught  before  they  could 
go  ten  feet. 

"We  have  them!"  cried  Munson.  "They 
walked  right  into  our  hands!" 

It  was  true.  Tom  Swift  and  the  others  were 
the  prisoners  of  the  diamond  makers. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

BROKEN    BONDS 

"WELL,"  remarked  Tom  Swift,  in  mournful 
tones,  "this  looks  as  if  we  were  up  against  it; 
doesn't  it?" 

"Bless  my  umbrella,  it  certainly  does,"  agreed 
Mr.  Damon. 

"And  it's  all  my  fault/'  said  Mr.  Jenks..  "I 
shouldn't  have  gone  into  the  big  cave.  I  might 
have  known  those  men  would  come  back  any 
time." 

The  above  conversation  took  place  as  our 
friends  lay  securely  bound  in  a  small  cave,  or 
recess,  opening  from  the  larger  cavern,  where, 
about  an  hour  before,  they  had  been  captured 
and  made  prisoners  by  the  diamond  makers. 
Despite  their  struggles  they  had  been  over- 
powered and  bound,  being  carried  to  the  cave, 
where  they  were  laid  in  a  row  on  some  old  bags. 

"It  certainly  is  a  most  unpleasant  situation, 
to  say  the  least,"  observed  Mr.  Parker. 

"And  all  my  fault,"  repeated  Mr.  Jenks. 
193 


194  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  'DIAMOND  MAKERS 

"Oh,  no  it  isn't,"  declared  Tom  Swift,  quick*, 
ly.  "We  were  just  as  ready  to  follow  you  into 
that  cave  as  you  were  to  go.  No  one  could 
,tell  that  the  men  would  return  so  soon.  It's 
nobody's  fault.  It's  just  our  bad  luck." 

From  where  he  lay,  tied  hand  and  foot,  the 
young  inventor  could  look  out  into  the  cave 
where  he  and  the  others  had  been  caught.  The 
diamond  makers  were  busily  engaged,  apparent- 
ly in  getting  ready  to  manufacture  another 
batch  of  the  precious  stones.  They  paid  little! 
attention  to  their  captives,  save  to  warn  them, 
when  they  had  first  been  taken  into  the  little 
cave,  that  it  was  useless  to  try  to  escape. 

"They  needn't  have  told  us  that,"  observed 
Tom,  as  he  and  the  others  were  talking  over 
their  situation  in  low  voices.  "I  don't  believe 
any  one  could  loosen  these  ropes." 

"They  certainly  are  pretty  tight,"  agreed  Mr. 
Damon.  "I've  been  tugging  and  straining  at 
mine  for  the  last  half  hour,  and  all  I've  suc- 
ceeded in  doing  is  to  make  the  cords  cut  into 
my  flesh." 

"Better  give  it  up,"  advised  Mr.  Jenks. 
"We'll  just  have  to  wait." 

"For  what?"  the  scientist  wanted  to  know. 

"To  see  what  they'll  do  with  us.  They  can't 
keep  us  here  forever.  They'll  have  to  let  us  go 


BROKEN  BONDS  195 

.some  time."  Following  their  capture,  Folwell 
and  Munson,  the  latter  the  stowaway  of  the  air- 
ship, had  been  in  earnest  conversation  regarding 
our  friends,  but  what  conclusion  they  had 
reached  the  adventurers  could  only  guess. 

"And  we  didn't  have  time  to  examine  the 
diamond-making  machinery  close  enough  so 
that  we  could  duplicate  it  if  necessary,"  com- 
plained Tom,  a  little  later. 

"No,"  agreed  Mr.  Jenks.  "There  are  certain 
things  about  it  that  are  not  clear  to  me.  Well, 
I  don't  believe  I'll  have  another  chance  to  in- 
spect it.  They'll  take  good  care  of  that,  though 
they  seem  to  be  getting  ready  to  make  more 
diamonds." 

"Perhaps  they're  going  to  manufacture  a  big 
batch,  and  then  leave  this  place,"  suggested  Mr. 
Damon.  "They  will  probably  go  to  some  other 
secret  cave,  and  leave  us  here." 

"I  hope  they  untie  us  before  they  leave,  and 
give  us  something  to  eat,"  remarked  the  young 
inventor. 

For  two  hours  longer  the  captives  lay  there, 
in  most  uncomfortable  positions.  Then  Fol- 
well and  Munson,  leaving  the  group  of  diamond 
makers  who  were  grouped  about  the  machinery, 
approached  the  captives. 

"Well,"  remarked  Munson,  "we  got  ahead  of 


196  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

you  after  all;  didn't  we.  You  thought  you  had 
our  secret,  but  it  will  be  a  long  while  before  you 
ever  make  diamonds." 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  us?"  asked 
Tom. 

"Never  mind.  You  came  where  you  had  no 
right  to,  and  you  must  take  the  consequences." 

"We  did  have  a  right  to  come  here!"  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Jenks.  "I  am  entitled  to  know 
how  the  diamonds  are  made.  I  paid  for  the 
information,  and  you  tricked  me.  If  ever  it's 
possible  I'll  have  the  whole  gang  arrested  for 
swindling." 

"You'll  never  get  the  chance!"  declared  Fol- 
well.  "You  were  given  some  diamonds  for  the 
money  you  invested,  and  that  makes  us  square." 

"No,  it  doesn't!"  declared  Mr.  Jenks.  "I  in- 
vested the  money  to  learn  how  to  make  dia- 
monds, and  you  know  it!  You  tricked  me,  and 
I  had  a  right  to  try  to  discover  your  secret! 
I  nearly  have  it,  too,  and  I'll  get  it  completely 
before  I'm  done  with  you!" 

"No,  you  won't!"  boasted  Folwell.  "But  we 
didn't  come  here  to  tell  you  that.  We  came 
to  give  you  something  to  eat.  We're  not 
savages  and  we'll  treat  you  as  well  as  we  can 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  you  are  trespassers. 
We're  going  to  give  you  some  grub,  but  I 


BROKEN  BONDS  197 

warn  you  that  any  attempt  to  escape  will  mean 
that  some  of  you  will  get  hurt." 

He  signalled  to  some  of  his  confederates. 
These  men  unbound  the  captives'  arms,  and 
stood  over  them  while  they  ate  some  coarse 
food  that  was  brought  into  the  small  cave. 
They  were  given  coffee  to  drink,  and  then,  when 
the  simple  meal  was  over,  they  were  securely 
bound  again,  and  left  to  themselves,  while  the 
diamond  makers  went  back  to  their  machinery. 

It  was  evident  that  they  were  going  to  at- 
tempt a  big  "operation,  for  an  unusually  large 
quantity  of  the  white  stuff  was  prepared.  The 
prisoners  watched  them  idly.  They  could  see 
some  but  not  all  of  the  operations.  In  this  way 
several  hours  passed. 

Gloom  possessed  the  hearts  of  Tom  and  his 
friends.  Not  only  had  their  expedition  been 
almost  a  failure  so  far,  but  the  young  inventor 
was  worried  lest  the  gang  might  discover  and 
wreck  his  airship.  This  would  prove  a  serious 
loss.  Lying  there  in  the  semi-darkness  the  lad 
imagined  all  sorts  of  unpleasant  happenings. 

At  times  he  dozed  off,  as  did  the  others. 
They  had  become  somewhat  used  to  the  pain 
caused  by  the  bonds,  for  their  nerves  were  numb 
from  the  strain  and  pressure. 

Once,  as  he  was  lightly  sleeping,  Tom  was 


198  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS; 

awakened  by  hearing  loud  voices  in  the  main 
cave.  He  looked  out,  rolling  over  slightly  to 
get  a  better  view.  He  saw  the  man  who,  once 
before  had  run  in  to  give  news  of  an  approach-/ 
ing  electrical  storm. 

"Are  you  fellows  all  ready?"  asked  this  same 
man  again. 

"Yes.     Is    there    another    storm    coming?" 

"Yes,  and  it's  going  to  be  a  corker !"  was  the 
reply.  "It's  one  of  the  worst  I've  ever  seen. 
It's  sweeping  right  up  the  valley.  It'll  be  here 
in  an  hour." 

"That's  good.  We  need  a  big  flash  to  maks 
all  the  material  we  have  prepared  into  diamonds. 
It's  the  biggest  batch  we  ever  tried.  I  hope  it 

succeeds,  for  we're  going  to  leave "  The 

rest  was  in  so  low  a  tone  that  Tom  could  not 
catch  it. 

The  storm  messenger  departed.  Folwell  and 
Munson  busied  themselves  about  the  machinery. 
Tom  dozed  off  again,  dimly  wondering  what 
had  become  of  Bill  Renshaw,  and  whether  the 
former  ghost  knew  of  their  plight.  The  others 
were  asleep,  as  the  young  inventor  saw  by  the 
dim  light  of  a  lantern  in  the  cave.  Then,  he  too, 
shut  his  eyes. 

Tom  was  suddenly  awakened  by  feeling  some 
one's  hands  moving  about  his  clothing.  At 


BROKEN  BONDS  199 

first  he  thought  it  was  one  of  the  diamond- 
making  gang,  who  had  sneaked  in  to  rob  hirrv, 

"Here!  What  are  you  up  to?"  exclaimed 
Tom. 

"Quiet!"  cautioned  a  voice.  "Are  you  all 
here?" 

"All  of  us — yes.    But  who  are  you?" 

"Easy— keep  quiet,  Tom  Swift!  I'm  Bill 
Renshaw!  I've  been  searching  all  over  for  you, 
since  I  got  back  to  your  cave  and  found  it 
empty.  Now  I'm  going  to  free  you.  I  got  in 
here  by  a  secret  entrance.  Wait,  I'll  cut  your 
ropes."  There  was  a  slight  sound,  and  an 
instant  later  Tom  was  freed  from  his  bonds. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

IN   GREAT   PERIL 

THE  young  inventor  could  scarcely  believe 
the  good  luck  that  had  so  unexpectedly  come 
to  him  and  his  companions.  No  sooner  was 
Tom  able  to  move  freely  about  than  Bill  Ren- 
shaw  performed  the  same  service  for  Mr.  Jenks 
and  the  others,  cautioning  them  to  be  quiet  as 
he  awakened  them,  and  cut  the  ropes. 

"Bless  my  circulation!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Da-» 
mon,  in  a  hoarse  whisper.  "How  did  you  ever 
get  here.  I'd  given  ourselves  up  for  lost." 

"Oh,  I  came  in  off  the  mountain,  as  there's 
a  big  storm  due,"  explained  the  man.  "There 
was  no  need  of  me  playing  the  haunt  in  day- 
time, anyhow.  I  went  to  the  cave,  found  you 
and  your  things  gone,  and  I  surmised  that  you 
might  have  walked  into  some  trap." 

"We  did,"  admitted  Mr.  Jenks,  grimly. 

"Well,  I  hunted  around  until  I  found  you/' 
went  on  Bill.  "This  mountain  is  honeycombed 
with  caves,  all  opening  from  the  large  one.  I 
200 


IN  GREAT  PERIL  2OI 

know  them  better  than  these  fellows  do,  so 
I  could  explore  freely,  and  keep  out  of  their 
sight.  They  didn't  know  that  there  was  a 
second  entrance  to  this  place,  but  I  did,  and 
I  made  for  it,  when  I  couldn't  find  you  in  some 
tof  the  other  caves  where  I  looked.  And,  sure 
enough,  here  you  were." 

"Well,  we  can't  thank  you  enough,"  said  Mr. 
Parker.  "But  you  say  there  is  a  big  storm 
coming?" 

"One  of  the  biggest  that's  been  around  these 
parts  in  some  time,"  replied  Bill. 

"Then  perhaps  the  mountain  will  be  de- 
stroyed," went  on  the  scientist,  as  calmly  as  if 
he  had  remarked  that  it  might  rain. 

"I  hope  nothing  like  that  happens  until  we 
get  away,"  spoke  Mr.  Damon,  fervently. 

"What  had  we  better  do?"  inquired  Tom. 

"Get  away,  unless  you  want  to  discover  some 
more  of  their  secrets,"  advised  Bill.  "Those 
fellows  are  planning  something,  but  I  can't  find 
out  what  it  is.  They  are  suspicious  of  me,  I 
think.  But  they  are  up  to  something,  and  I 
believe,  it  would  be  best  for  you  to  leave  while 
you  have  the  chance.  It  may  not  be  healthy 
to  stay.  That's  why  I  did  my  best  to  untie 
you." 

"We  appreciate  what  you  have  done, 


202  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

chred  Mr.  Jenks,  "but  I  want  my  rights.  I 
must  learn  a  few  more  facts  about  how  to  make 
diamonds  from  lightning  flashes,  and  then  I 
will  have  the  same  secret  they  cheated  me  out 
of.  I  think  if  we  wait  a  while  we  may  be  able 
to  see  the  parts  of  the  process  that  are  not 
quite  clear  to  us.  What  do  you  say,  Tom 
Swift?*' 

"Well,  I  would  like  to  learn  the  secret,"  re- 
plied the  lad,  "and  if  Bill  thinks  it's  safe  to  stay 
here  a  while  longer " 

"Oh,  I  guess  it  will  be  safe  enough,"  was  the 
reply.  "Those  fellows  won't  bother  about  you 
now  that  they  are  about  to  make  some  more 
diamonds.  Besides,  they  think  you're  all  tied 
up.  Yes,  you  can  stay  here  and  watch,  I  reckon. 
I've  got  a  couple  of  guns,  and " 

"Then  we'll  stay,"  decided  Tom.  "We  can 
put  up  a  better  fight  now." 

Silently,  in  their  prison,  but  which  they  could 
now  leave  whenever  they  pleased,  the  adven- 
turers watched  the  diamond  makers  once  more. 
The  same  process  they  had  witnessed  before 
was  gone  through  with.  The  white  balls  were 
put  inside  the  steel  box  and  sealed  up.  Then 
they  waited  for  the  storm  to  reach  its  height. 

That  this  would  not  be  long  was  evidenced 
by  the  mutterings  of  thunder  which  every  mo- 


IN  GREAT  PERIL  203- 

ment  grew  louder.  The  outburst  of  electrical 
fury  was  likely  to  take  place  momentarily,  and 
that  it  would  be  unusually  severe  was  shown  by 
the  precautions  taken  by  the  diamond  makers. 
They  attached  a  number  of  extra  wires,  and 
brought  out  some  insulated,  hard  rubber  plat- 
forms, on  which  they  themselves  stood.  Tom 
and  Mr.  Jenks  were  much  interested  in  watch- 
ing this  detail  of  the  work,  and  sought  to  learn 
how  each  part  of  the  process  was  done. 

"I  almost  think  we  can  make  diamonds,  Tom, 
when  we  get  back  to  civilization,"  whispered 
Mr.  Jenks. 

"I  hope  we  can,"  answered  Tom,  "and  we 
can't  get  back  any  too  soon  to  suit  me.  I 
want  to  be  in  my  airship  again." 

"I  don't  blame  you.  But  look,  they  are  get- 
ting ready  to  adjust  the  switch." 

The  adventurers  ceased  their  whispered  talk, 
and  eagerly  watched  the  diamond  makers.  Fol- 
well  and  Munson  were  hurrying  to  and  fro  in 
the  big  cave,  attending  to  the  adjustments  of 
fthe  machinery. 

"On  your  insulated  plates — all  of  you,"  Fol- 
well  gave  the  order.  "This  is  going  to  be  a 
terrific  storm.  The  gage  shows  twice  the  power 
we  have  ever  used,  and  it's  creeping  up  every 


204  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS. 

minute!  We'll  have  more  diamonds  than  we 
ever  had  before!" 

"Yes,  if  the  mountain  isn't  destroyed,"  added 
Mr.  Parker,  in  a  low  voice.  "I  predict  that  it 
will  be  split  from  top  to  bottom!" 

"Comforting,"  thought  Tom,  grimly. 

"I  guess  we're  all  ready,"  said  Folwell,  in  a 
low  tone  to  Munson.  "We'd  better  get  in- 
sulated ourselves.  I'm  going  to  throw  the 
switch." 

He  did  so.  A  moment  later  the  man  who 
Had  before  given  warning  of  the  storm  came 
dashing  in.  He  was  very  much  excited. 

"It's  awful!"  he  cried.  "The  lightning  is 
striking  all  over!  Big  rocks  are  being  split  like 
logs  of  wood!" 

"Well,  it  can't  do  any  damage  in  here,"  said 
Munson.  "We  are  well  protected.  Get  on  one 
of  the  plates,"  and  he  motioned  to  one  of  the 
hard-rubber  platforms  that  was  not  occupied. 
The  roar  and  rumble  of  the  storm  outside  had 
given  place  to  short  terrific  crashes.  In  their 
small  cave  the  adventurers  could  feel  the  solid 
ground  shake. 

A  bluish  light  began  dancing  about  the  elec- 
trical wires.  There  was  a  smell  of  sulphur  in  the 
air.  Crash  after  crash  resounded  outside.  A 


IN  GREAT  PERIL  205 

flash  of  flame  lit  up  the  whole  interior  of  the 
cave.    It  came  from  the  copper  switch. 

"Something's  wrong  with  the  insulation  I" 
cried  Munson. 

"Don't  go  near  it!"  yelled  Folwell.  "If  you 
value  your  life,  stand  still!" 

Hardly  had  he  spoken  than  inside  the  cavern 
there  sounded  a  report  like  that  of  a  small 
cannon.  A  big  ball  of  fire  danced  about  the 
middle  of  the  cave  and  then  leaped  on  top  of 
the  steel  box. 

"This  is  a  fearful  storm,"  cried  Munson. 

The  adventurers  in  the  cave  did  not  know 
what  to  say  or  do.  They  were  in  deadly  peril. 

Suddenly  there  came  a  crash  louder  tham  any 
that  had  preceded  it.  The  whole  side  of  the 
cave  where  the  switches  were  was  a  mass  of 
bluish  flame.  Then  came  a  ripping,  tearing 
sound,  and  a  tangle  of  wires  and  copper  con- 
nections were  thrown  to  the  floor.  At  the 
same  time  the  steel  box,  containing  the  mate- 
rials from  which  diamonds  were  made,  turned 
blue,  and  flames  shot  from  it. 

"It's  all  up  with  us!"  cried  Munson.     "Run 
for  it,  everybody!     The  wires  are  down,  and 
this  place  will  be  an  electric  furnace  in  another 
minute!" 
;    He  leaped  toward  the  exit  from  the  cave. 


206  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

"What  about  those  fellows?"  asked  Folwell, 
indicating  the  place  where  Tom  and  the  others 
had  been  tied. 

"They'll  have  to  do  the  best  they  can!  It's 
every  man  for  himself,  now!"  yelled  Munson. 
There  was  a  wild  scramble  from  the  cavern. 

"Come  on!"  cried  Tom.  "We  must  escape! 
It's  our  only  chance!" 

He  leaped  into  the  big  cave,  followed  by  the 
others.  Already  long  tongues  of  electrical  fire 
were  shooting  out  from  the  walls  and  roof  as 
Tom  Swift  and  his  companions,  evading  them 
a*  best  they  could,  sought  safety  in  flight. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

THE  MOUNTAIN  SHATTERED CONCLUSION 

"CAN'T  we  get  some  of  the  diamonds?"  cried 
Mr.  Damon,  as  he  raced  along  behind  Tom. 
"Now's  our  chance.  Those  fellows  have  all 
gone!"  The  odd  man  made  a  grab  for  some- 
thing as  he  ran. 

"It's  as  much  as  our  lives  are  worth/'  de- 
clared the  young  inventor.  "We  dare  not  stop! 
Come  on!" 

"I'd  like  to  investigate  some  of  the  ma- 
chinery," spoke  Mr.  Jenks,  "but  I  wouldn't 
stop,  even  for  that." 

"The  storm  is  too  dangerous,"  called  Bill 
Renshaw.  "I  can  show  you  a  shorter  way  out 
than  the  one  those  fellows  have  taken.  Follow 


me." 


"No  way  can  be  too  short,"  said  Mr.  Parker, 
solemnly.  "This  mountain  will  go  to  pieces 
shortly,  I  think!" 

Tom  shuddered.  He  remembered  how  narrow 
had  been  their  escape  when  Earthquake  Island 

207 


208  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS, 

sank  into  the  sea.  And  that  some  terrific  up- 
heaval was  now  imminent  might  be  judged  from 
the  awful  reports  that  sounded  more  plainly  as 
the  adventurers  raced  toward  the  opening  of 
the  cave.  It  was  like  the  bombardment  of 
some  doomed  city. 

Mr.  Jenks  and  Tom  cast  one  longing  look 
behind  at  the  complicated  and  expensive  ma- 
chinery that  had  been  installed  in  the  cave  by 
the  diamond  makers.  They  had  abandoned  it, 
and  in  it  lay  the  secret  of  making  precious  gems. 
But  there  was  no  time  to  stop  now,  and 
investigate. 

"This  way,"  urged  Bill  Renshaw.  "Well 
soon  be  out." 

"But  won't  it  be  dangerous  to  go  outside?" 
asked  Mr.  Damon.  "Shan't  we  be  struck  by 
lightning?  There  is  some  protection  in  here." 

"None  at  all,"  said  Mr.  Parker,  quickly. 
"This  mountain  is  a  natural  lightning  rod.  To 
stay  here  in  this  cave  will  be  sure  death  when 
the  storm  gets  directly  over  it.  And  that  will 
be  very  soon.  We  must  get  on  insulated 
ground.  Is  there  any  part  of  this  mountain  that 
does  not  contain  iron  ore?"  the  scientist  asked 
of  the  former  spirit. 

"Yes;  the  way  out  by  which  we  are  going 
lands  on  a  dirt  hill." 


THE  MOUNTAIN  SHATTERED— CONCLUSION.  205 

"That's  good;  then  we  may  be  saved." 

On  they  ran.  They  had  no  lanterns,  but  the 
blue  light  of  the  electricity,  as  it  leaped  from 
point  to  point  inside  the  cave,  where  there  were 
outcroppings  of  iron  ore,  made  the  place  bright 
enough  to  see. 

"Here  we  are!"  cried  Bill  Renshaw  at  length. 
"Here's  the  way  out!" 

Making  a  sudden  turn  in  the  winding  pas- 
sage he  showed  the  adventurers  a  small  open- 
ing in  the  side  of  the  crag.  In  an  instant  they 
had  passed  through,  and  found  themselves  in 
daylight  once  more.  The  sudden  glare  almost 
blinded  them,  for,  though  the  sky  was  over- 
cast by  clouds,  from  which  jagged  tongues  of 
lightning  played,  the  outside  was  much  lighter 
than  the  dark  cave. 

"I  should  say  it  was  a  storm!"  cried  Tom 
Swift.  "See,  it  is  striking  every  minute,  and 
all  around  us!" 

In  fact,  lightning  bolts  were  falling  on  every 
side  of  the  adventurers.  Every  time  the  balls 
of  fire  struck,  they  burst  open  great  stones,  or 
seared  a  livid  scar  on  the  face  of  some  cliff.  As 
for  Tom  and  the  others,  they  stood  on  a  dry 
dirt  hill,  in  which,  fortunately,  there  was  no 
iron  ore.  To  this  fact  they  undoubtedly  owed 
their  lives,  though  had  there  been  rain,  to  mois- 


210  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

ten  the  ground  and  make  the  earth  a  good 
conductor  of  electricity,  they  probably  would 
have  been  badly  shocked.  But  the  electrical 
outburst  was  not  accompanied  by  rain. 

Tom  looked  up.  He  saw  a  compact  mass  of 
cloud  moving  toward  the  summit  of  the  moun- 
tain on  the  slope  of  which  they  stood.  From 
this  cloud  there  played  shafts  of  reddish-green 
fire. 

"Look!"  called  the  young  inventor  to  Mr. 
Parker.  The  instant  the  latter  saw  the  cloud, 
he  cried: 

"We  must  get  away  from  here  by  all  means  f 
That  is  the  center  of  the  storm.  As  soon  as 
it  gets  over  the  mountain,  where  that  lightning 
rod  is,  all  the  electrical  fluid  will  be  discharged 
in  one  bolt  at  the  mountain,  and  it  will  be  de- 
stroyed! We  must  run,  but  keep  on  the  dirt 
places!  Run  for  your  lives!" 

They  needed  no  second  warning.  Turning, 
they  fled  down  the  steep  side  of  the  mountain, 
slipping  and  stumbling,  but  taking  care  not  to 
step  on  any  iron  ore.  Behind  them  flashed  the 
lightning  bolts. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  most  awful  crash.  It 
seemed  as  if  the  end  of  the  world  had  come, 
and  the  ear  drums  of  Tom  and  his  companions 
almost  burst  with  the  fearful  report.  The  con* 


THE  MOUNTAIN  SHATTERED-CONCLVSION  211 

cussion  knocked  them  down,  and  they  lay 
stunned  for  a  moment. 

Following  the  terrible  report  there  was  a  low, 
rumbling  sound.  Hardly  knowing  whether  he 
was  dead  or  alive,  Tom  opened  his  eyes  and 
looked  about  him.  What  he  saw  caused  him 
to  cry  out  in  terror. 

The  whole  mountain  seemed  bathed  in  fire. 
Great  blue,  red  and  green  flashes  played  around 
it.  Then  the  towering  cliff  seemed  to  melt 
and  crumble  up,  and  the  great  peak,  the  top 
of  it  containing  the  diamond  makers'  cave,  from 
which  they  had  fled  but  a  few  minutes  before, 
the  entire  summit  was  toppled  over  into  the 
valley  on  the  other  side,  and  in  the  direction 
opposite  to  that  where  the  adventurers  stood. 

Then  came  a  profound  silence,  and  the  light- 
ning ceased.  The  storm  was  over,  and  only 
the  rattle  of  stones  and  boulders,  as  they  came 
to  rest  in  the  valley  below,  reached  the  ears 
of  our  friends. 

"Phantom  Mountain  has  been  destroyed,  just 
as  I  said  it  would  be,"  spoke  Mr.  Parker,  sol- 
emnly. Once  more  he  had  prophesied  correctly. 

For  a  few  minutes  the  adventurers  hardly 
knew  what  to  say.  They  arose  awkwardly  from 
the  ground  where  the  shock  had  tossed  them. 
Then  Tom  remarked,  as  calmly  as  possible: 


212  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

"Well,  it's  all  over.  I  guess  we  may  as  well 
get  back  to  our  airship." 

"What  became  of  Munson  and  the  others?" 
asked  Mr.  Damon. 

Mr.  Jenks  pointed  to  the  trail,  far  below.  The 
figures  of  some  men,  running  madly,  could  be 
seen. 

"There  they  go,"  he  said;  "I  fancy  we  have 
seen  the  last  of  them."  And  they  had,  for  some 
time  at  least. 

There  was  little  use  lingering  any  longer  on 
Phantom  Mountain — indeed  little  of  it  was  left 
on  which  to  remain.  Looking  back  toward  the 
place  where  the  cave  had  been,  Tom  and  the 
others  started  forward  again.  The  diamond- 
making  machinery  had  all  been  destroyed.  So, 
also,  had  the  finished  diamonds  stored  in  the 
cavern  and  the  large  supply  which  had  probably 
been  made  by  the  last  terrific  crash.  No  one 
would  ever  have  them  now.  Tom  and  Mr. 
Jenks  felt  a  sense  of  disappointment,  but  they 
were  glad  to  have  escaped  with  their  lives.  They 
sought  their  former  camp,  but  the  tent  and  all 
their  food  was  buried  under  tons  of  earth  and 
rocks. 

Three  days  later,  after  rather  severe  hard- 
ships, they  were  near  the  place  where  they  had 
left  the  Red  Cloud.  They  had  suffered  cold 


THE  MOUNTAIN  SHATTERED— CONCLUSION 

and  hunger,  for  they  had  no  food  supplies,  and, 
had  it  not  been  that  Bill  Renshaw  knew  the 
haunts  of  some  game,  of  which  they  managed 
to  snare  some,  they  would  have  fared  badly, 
for  they  had  left  their  guns  in  the  cave. 

"Well,  there  are  the  trees  behind  which  I 
hope  my  airship  is  hidden,"  announced  Tom, 
as  they  came  to  the  spot.  "Good  old  Red  Cloudt 
Maybe  we  won't  do  some  eating  when  we  get 
aboard,  eh?" 

"Bless  my  appetite!  but  we  certainly  will!" 
cried  Mr.  Damon. 

"There's  somebody  walking  around  the 
place,"  spoke  Mr.  Jenks. 

"I  hope  it's  no  one  who  has  damaged  the 
ship,"  came  from  Tom,  apprehensively.  He 
broke  into  a  run,  and  soon  confronted  an  aged 
miner,  who  seemed  to  have  established  a  rude 
sort  of  camp  near  the  airship. 

"Is  anything  the  matter?"  asked  Tom,  breath- 
lessly. "Is  my  airship  all  right?" 

"I  guess  she's  all  right,  stranger,"  was  the 
reply.  "I  don't  know  much  about  these  con- 
traptions, but  I  haven't  touched  her.  I  knowed 
she  was  an  airship,  for  I've  seen  pictures  of  'em, 
and  I've  been  waiting  until  the  owner  came 
along." 

"Why?"  asked  Tom,  wonderingly. 


214  TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

"Because  I've  got  a  proposition  to  make  to 
you,"  went  on  the  miner,  who  said  his  name  was 
Abe  Abercrombie.  "I've  been  a  miner  for  a 
good  many  years,  and  I'm  just  back  from 
Alaska,  prospecting  around  here.  I  haven't 
had  any  luck,  but  I  know  of  a  gold  mine  in 
Alaska  that  will  make  us  all  rich.  Only  it  needs 
an  airship  to  get  to  it,  and  I've  been  figuring 
how  to  hire  one.  Then  I  comes  along,  and  I 
sees  this  big  one,  and  I  makes  up  my  mind  to 
stay  here  until  the  owners  come  back.  That's 
what  I've  done.  Now,  if  I  prove  that  I'm  telling 
the  truth,  will  you  go  to  Alaska — to  the  valley 
of  gold  with  me?" 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  Tom,  to  whom  the 
proposition  was  rather  sudden.  "We've  just 
had  some  pretty  startling  adventures,  and  we're 
almost  starved.  Wait  until  we  get  something 
to  eat,  and  we'll  talk.  Come  aboard  the  Red 
Cloud"  and  the  lad  led  the  way  to  his  craft 
which  was  in  as  good  condition  as  when  he  left 
it  to  go  to  the  diamond  cave.  Later  he  listened 
•$o  the  miner's  story. 

Tom  Swift  did  go  to  the  valley  of  gold  in 
Alaska,  and  what  happened  to  him  and  his  com- 
panions there  will  be  told  of  in  the  next  volume 
of  this  series,  to  be  called  "Tom  Swift  in  the 
Caves  of  Ice;  or,  the  Wreck  of  the  Airship.* 


THE  MOUNTAIN  SHATTERED— CONCLUSION  215 

It  did  not  take  our  friends  long,  after  they 
had  eaten  a  hearty  meal,  to  generate  some  fresh 
gas,  and  start  the  Red  Cloud  on  her  homeward 
way.  Tom  wanted  to  take  Bill  Renshaw  with 
him,  but  the  old  man  said  he  would  rather  re- 
main among  the  mountains  where  he  had  been 
born.  So,  after  paying  him  well  for  his  services, 
they  said  good-by  to  him.  Abercrombie,  the 
miner,  aiau  remained  behind,  but  promised  to 
call  and  see  Tom  in  a  few  months. 

"Well,  we  didn't  make  any  money  out  of  this 
trip,"  observed  Mr.  Jenks,  rather  dubiously,  as 
they  were  nearing  Shopton,  after  an  uneventful 
trip.  "I  guess  I  owe  you  considerable,  Tom 
Swift.  I  promised  to  get  you  a  lot  of  diamonds, 
but  all  I  have  are  those  I  had  from  my  first 
visit  to  the  cave." 

"Oh,  that's  all  right,"  spoke  Tom,  easily. 
uThe  experience  was  worth  all  the  trip  cost." 

"Speaking  of  diamonds,  look  here!"  exclaimed 
Mr.  Damon,  suddenly,  and  he  pulled  out  a 
double  handful. 

"Where  did  you  get  them?"  cried  the  others, 
in  astonishment. 

"I  grabbed  them  up,  as  we  ran  from  the 
cave,"  said  the  eccentric  man;  "but,  bless  my 
gaiters!  I  forgot  all  about  them  until  you 
ipoke.  We'll  share  them." 


TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

These  diamonds,  some  of  which  were  large, 
proved  very  valuable,  though  the  total  sum 
was  far  below  what  Mr.  Jenks  hoped  to  make 
When  he  started  on  the  remarkable  trip.  Tom 
gave  Mary  Nestor  a  very  fine  stone,  ard  it  wa? 
set  in  a  ring,  instead  of  a  pin,  this  time. 

On  their  arrival  in  Shopton,  where  Mr.  Swift, 
the  housekeeper,  Mr.  Jackson  and  Eradicate 
Sampson  were  much  alarmed  for  Tom's  safety, 
an  attempt  was  made  to  manufacture  diamonds, 
using  a  powerful  electric  current  instead  of 
lightning.  But  it  was  not  a  success,  and  so 
Mr.  Jenks  concluded  to  give  up  his  search  for 
the  secret  which  was  lost  on  Phantom 
Mountain. 

And  now  we  will  take  leave  of  Tom  Swift,  to 
meet  him  again  soon  in  other  adventures  he  is 
destined  to  have  in  the  caves  of  ice  and  the 
valley  of  gold. 

THE   END 


This  Isn't  AH! 


Would  you  like  to  know  what 
became  of  the  good  friends  you 
have  made  in  this  book? 
Would  you  like  to  read  other 
stories  continuing  their  adventures 
and  experiences,  or  other  books 
quite  as  entertaining  by  the  same 
author? 

On  the  reverse  side  of  the  wrap- 
per which  comes  with  this  book, 
you  will  find  a  wonderful  list  of 
stories  which  you  can  buy  at  the 
same  store  where  you  got  this  book. 

Don't  throw  away  the  Wrapper 

Use  if  as  a  handy  catalog  of  the  books 
you  want  some  day  to  have.  But  in 
case  you  do  mislay  it,  write  to  the 
Publishers  for  a  complete  catalog. 


THE    TOM    SWIFT    SERIES 

By  VICTOR  APPLETON 

Uniform  Style  of   Binding.     Individual  Colored  Wrappers. 
Every  Volume  Complete  in  Itself. 

Every  boy  possesses  some  form  of  inventive  genius.  Tom  Swift 
is  A  bright,  ingenious  boy  and  his  inventions  and  adventures  make 
the  most  interesting  kind  of  reading. 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR  CYCLE 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR  BOAT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SUBMARINE  BOAT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RUNABOUT 

TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  CAVES  OF  ICE 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SKY  RACER 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  CITY  OF  GOLD 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIR  GLIDER 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  CAPTIVITY 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIZARD  CAMERA 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  GREAT  SEARCHLIGHT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  GIANT  CANNON 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  PHOTO  TELEPHONE 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  BIG  TUNNEL 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WAR  TANK 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIR  SCOUT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  UNDERSEA  SEARCH 

TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  FIRE  FIGHTERS 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  LOCOMOTIVE 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  FLYING  BOAT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  GREAT  OIL  GUSHER 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  CHEST  OF  SECRETS 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRLINE  EXPRESS 

TOM  SWIFT  CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  TALKING  PICTURES 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  HOUSE  ON  WHEELS 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  BIG  DIRIGIBLE 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,   Publishers,   NEW  YORK 


THE  DON  STURDY  SERIES 

By  VICTOR  APPLETON 
Author  of  "  The  Tom  Swift  Series  " 

Every  red-blooded  boy  will  enjoy  the  thrilling  adventures 
of  Don  Sturdy.  In  company  with  his  uncles,  one  a  big 
game  hunter,  the  other  a  noted  scientist,  he  travels  far  and 
wide — into  the  jungles  of  South  America,  across  the  Sahara, 
deep  into  the  African  jungle,  up  where  the  Alaskan  volca- 
noes spout,  down  among  the  head  hunters  of  Borneo  and 
many  other  places  where  there  is  danger  and  excitement. 
Every  boy  who  has  known  Tom  Swift  will  at  once  become 
the  boon  companion  of  daring  Don  Sturdy. 

DON  STURDY  ON  THE  DESERT  OF  MYSTERY 

DON  STURDY  WITH  THE  BIG  SNAKE  HUNTERS 

DON  STURDY  IN  THE  TOMBS  OF  GOLD 

DON  STURDY  ACROSS  THE  NORTH  POLE 

DON  STURDY  IN  THE  LAND  OF  VOLCANOES 

DON  STURDY  IN  THE  PORT  OF  LOST  SHIPS 

DON  STURDY  AMONG  THE  GORILLAS 

DON  STURDY  CAPTURED  BY  HEAD  HUNTERS 

DON  STURDY  IN  LION  LAND 

DON  STURDY  IN  THE  LAND  OF  GIANTS 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  Publishers,  NEW  YORK 


WESTERN  STORIES  FOR  BOYS 

By  JAMES  CODY  FERRIS 

Individual  Colored  Wrappers  and  Illustration*  fey 

WALTER  S.  ROGERS 
Each  Volume  Complete  in  Itself. 

Thrilling  tales  of  the  great  west,  told  primarily  for 
boys  but  which  will  be  read  by  all  who  love  mystery, 
rapid  action,  and  adventures  in  the  great  open  spaces. 

The  Manly  Boys,  Roy  and  Teddy,  are  the  sons  of 
an  old  ranchman,  the  owner  of  many  thousands  of 
heads  of  cattle.  The  lads  know  how  to  ride,  how  to 
shoot,  and  how  to  take  care  of  themselves  under  any 
and  all  circumstances. 

The  cowboys  of  the  X  Bar  X  Ranch  are  real  cow- 
boys, on  the  job  when  required  but  full  of  fun  and 
daring — a  bunch  any  reader  will  be  delighted  to  know. 

THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  ON  THE  RANCH 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  IN  THUNDER  CANYON 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  ON  WHIRLPOOL  RIVER 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  ON  BIG  BISON  TRAIL 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  AT  THE  ROUND-UP 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  AT  NUGGET  CAMP 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  AT  RUSTLER'S  GAP 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  AT  GRIZZLY  PASS 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  LOST  IN  THE  ROCKIES 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,   PUBLISHERS,  NEW  YORK 


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